THE launch of a new collection of poems inspired by encounters with Exmoor hill farmers, along with poetry readings and a book signing by the author, will take place in the ‘Big Exmoor Tent’ at Dunster Show on Friday.

Poet Adam Horowitz spent time on Exmoor Hill Farming Network farms signed up to the Pasture-Fed Livestock Association – an alliance of farmers committed to feeding livestock solely on grass for the benefit of nature, animal welfare and the planet.

Adam stayed on two different hill farms during his time on Exmoor, supported by grants from Exmoor National Park Authority’s Partnership Fund and the Exmoor Society.

As well as the drama of the landscape, his poems evoke the balance between farming and nature that helps to create it.

The collection is part of an expanded second edition to The Soil Never Sleeps (Palewell Press; £9.99). 

Also for sale will be artwork by Jo Sanders, whose illustrations depicting two Exmoor Horn sheep feature on the cover of the new book.

Adam said about his time on the farms: “I helped out where I could and absorbed the beauty of the national park and the practical concerns that go in to maintaining that beauty, as well as the continued health of the soil and the land. 

“My hope is that The Soil Never Sleeps – which weaves celebration of the land with the voices of the farmers and the science of farming – will play a small part in the ongoing, and very necessary conversations about the future, and continued vitality of the British landscape.”

The Big Exmoor Tent, sponsored by internet service provider Airband, which provides fibre and wireless broadband to rural and hard-to-reach areas: “The world needs more poetry and the best poetry can be truly magical,” said Airband’s Devon project manager Martin Hewlett.