Last weekend, Adam Ditchburn, a volunteer at Savio House in 2006, launched his first collection of poetry, As the Crow Flies, at an event at Hull Library, in his home town.

Adam, pictured above with his wife and children, has been writing and performing songs in the UK and USA for several years, but the book, published as part of Don Bosco Publications' Pocketbook series, marks a shift of his writing focus towards poetry and prose.

In addition to profound reflections on the major issues of human experience, the collection also includes more lighthearted observations of modern life.

"I have always written poetry but really started to take it more seriously over the past few years, Adam said. "I noticed when reflecting on pieces I had written how I was able to trace a journey in my writing, both in terms of stylistic development and in the presence of recurring themes and threads: life/death, loss and the natural world. These poems came together as a collection based on these themes."

The title is taken from the first poem in the collection, inspired by Adam's feelings about the loss of his grandmother. "When she was ill, I was living quite far away. She knew I always had an affinity with birds of the corvid family, and she told me how there was a crow which landed in her garden every morning and reminded her of me. It was a real comfort to me, as I could not get to see her as often as I'd have liked to. After her death, the crow took on a new resonance for me, and I always think of her when I see the bird."

As the Crow Flies and Other Poems by Adam Ditchburn is available from our online shop £1.60 inc UK p&p, or contact Don Bosco Publications.