Ticker-Tape

What can poetry teach us about business? In the case of Ticker-tape, the answer is a lot but the answers aren’t always in plain sight.

This wide-ranging debut collection by poet Rishi Dastidar bounces from politics to banter (for humorous reasons) and also draw on the writer’s experience of working in brand and advertising. The poems that touch on this are the most immediately rewarding for the business reader.

‘Making a cheese soufflé rise’ is a powerful reminder of the value of advertising. ‘Gunmetal’ is the coherent rant every editor dreams of yelling when presented with yet another cliché-riddled bit of copy. ‘Diversity campaign’ brilliantly parodies the box ticking exercises that corporations launch with much fan fare.

Underlying everything is an understanding of our culture as it is. The references will be familiar not because you’re well read but because you live in 21^st century Britain. From Nando’s to Aldi, Dastidar takes the familiar and draws meaning from it.

Crucially, this is not poetry trying to be modern or urban. It is poetry that takes an observation and distils from it a truth. It just so happens that the poet is modern and urban and so is his voice.

THIS BOOK IS AVAILABLE AT AMAZON, WATERSTONES AND FOYLES.