The Adept. This item is unavailable.The Adept

In a cold, hard city, Chresta and Eran are searching…

Interrogating their story in lyric poetry, The Adept examines the frequent disconnect between urbanites living side by side and the dangerous power relations in unorthodox belief systems — colloquially, cults and the cult-like. Our protagonists wrestle with their need for engagement in a world of increasing isolation via home offices and online fora. With the metaverse just around the corner, Chresta and Eran encounter callous users preying on the disenfranchised alongside, potentially, offerings of something profound — a sense of belonging in an increasingly fragmented world.

Tom Proverbs-Garbett mixes his creative practice with academia, having completed the Creative Writing MA at Teesside University and the University of South Wales’ MPhil in Writing programme; he is currently a PhD candidate. His debut collection, The Adept, was published by Cinnamon Press in 2025. Deeply inspired by snow and water, Tom lived by the sea in Vancouver and ventured into the Stockholm archipelago before settling in the UK. He now resides in the West Midlands, far from the sea but where there are lots of canals and the occasional blizzard. He is married with two daughters.