January House Literary Journal

Written between 2018 and 2025, these poems are snapshots of the 21st century British justice system in action. The title Panopticon refers to architect and prison reformer Sir Jeremy Bentham’s triangular ‘see-all’ design, many of which are still in use today, and French philosopher Michel Foucault’s writings on power dynamics within justice systems.

Sometimes surreal, sometimes visionary, sometimes impressionistic; and sometimes the meaning might be very clear. The relationship between poem and reader is unique – an ongoing dance between the written word, the page, the eye and the mind – and exists in its own right.

Sean Bw Parker (MA) is a British artist, writer and musician specialising in painting, poetry, cultural theory and justice reform. After gaining a Masters degree in Fine Art from the University for the Creative Arts in 2003 he lived and worked in Istanbul for ten years, has published a number of books and albums, performed at or curated festivals, given a TED talk, had paintings exhibited from London’s South Bank to New York’s Times Square, and won awards for his work. He was born in Exeter in 1975 and currently lives on the West Sussex coast.