Quick is the first collection of poems by Peter Spafford, a professional writer for more than twenty years, appearing in print here for the first time.

By day, Spafford writes scripts for theatre, radio, musical theatre and opera. His poems are, out of necessity, creatures of the night; all the pieces in this collection dodged the searchlights and crept under the wire in the last five years. Exhibiting a bold playfulness with language and a stunning lightness of touch, these poems explore topics as diverse as the Yorkshire landscape, the joys and despairs of parenthood, and the surreal escapades of a horse in Tesco. They are rich, funny, and often breathtakingly poignant. A virtuoso performance in three parts, the lyrical musicality of Quick is played out in delicate changes of tempo that reflect the swell and ebb of human experience.