The Hen is a poetry journal founded in 2026 by Marie-Louise Eyres and Nicola Heaney. Born from a desire to shine a light on the fantastic work of the Henleaze-based North Bristol Stanza group, it has grown to include work from poets across the UK and beyond.

Our aim is to provide a home for poetry from both emerging and established poetry from across the world.

Issues will be published twice a year in Spring and Autumn.

Meet the Team

Nicola Heaney is an Irish poet currently living in Bristol. Her work has appeared in journals including The North, Banshee and Poetry Birmingham Literary Journal. Her poetry has been shortlisted for the Bridport four times and shortlisted for the 2026 Rialto Nature and Poetry prize. She’s the co-author of Ulster Fairytales and Legends, a children’s book published by O’Brien Press.

Marie-Louise Eyres is an Anglo-American poet now living in Bristol. She was a winner in the 2025 James Tate Prize, the 2021 Poetry News “Lesser Loss” competition and has been highly commended in the Bridport (twice), Live Canon, Bedford and Ginkgo AONB prizes. Recent poems can be found in Magma, Stand, Agenda, Acumen, Modern Poetry in Translation, Poetry Magazine, Portland Review, Alchemy Spoon, Poetry Bus, The Poet’s Republic, and anthologies with Candlestick Press, Black Cat and Broken Spine.