'242' is Dr. Marc Latham's second poetry collection, after the first one was published by Chipmunka in 2009. The first collection contained poems written by Marc from his youth to the creation of the Folding Mirror form, while this book focuses on the FM form recognised by Lewis Turco in his definitive 'The Book of Forms: A Handbook of Poetics, Including Odd and Invented Forms'. Caroline Gill, an award-winning poet whose 'Thalatta, Thalatta' Folding Mirror poem was used as an example in 'The Book of Forms' provides an introductory explanation of the Folding Mirror form at the start of this book. This book contains 121 Folding Mirror poems created in three years by Marc Latham as he tried to make sense of the universe and life's place in it. They are supported by 121 reflections relevant to the poems' themes. The seven chapters reflect the wide spectrum of issues and topics covered, being divided into: personal-psychological (containing thirty-four poems and thirty-four reflections), social (19-19), culture (15-15), literary (12-12), nature (30-30), travel (6-6) and space (5-5). The poems and reflections were inspired by the deepest thoughts of a PhD graduate and world traveller, and his new research and observations on the above subjects. Before and during his world travels and university education, Marc was inspired by Romantic and Beat poets, Rock musicians and other writers and journalists who have trawled the mind for self-analysis while searching for knowledge about human nature. Marc's first collection featured bipolarity and ADHD in the title, and included several poems inspired by them. These topics feature again in this collection, with the poet finding the mirror form especially conducive for bipolarity poetry. From his position in the average age's middle-age, Marc's poems and reflections in this collection stretch from humanity's prehistoric past to our current space exploration and prospective future, while also comparing us with the animal world, and tackling the important social and environmental problems of the present. Having focused on hegemony theory in his doctoral research, Marc uses his poetry to try and break through the cultural 'norms and accepted truths' of the modern monotheistic world to highlight alternative realities that could possibly improve conditions for plant, animal and human life. Marc uses the two sides of the Folding Mirror poem to show at least two sides of arguments and issues, with the folding line in the middle either connecting or dividing the two halves. There is also time for beauty and comedy amongst the digging and depression, and some poems and reflections provide colourful light-heartedness to lift the mood. Several of the poems posted as reflections were written while Marc undertook a 100-mile trek to view Everest in the Nepalese Himalayas. It is hoped that as well as entertaining the reader, the poems and thoughts will support the preservation of life and nature, and improve human understanding of itself and the world.About the Author: Marc Latham was born in St. Helier, Jersey during 1965. He grew up in Wales, and became a big heavy rock and metal fan in his youth. Along with Kerouac's 'On The Road' and other counter-culture books, rock music lyrics were a big influence on Marc's desire to write. He hitched from home aged 21, and travelled on a shoestring to all the populated continents between 1987-94. Marc kept a diary along the way, and it was on-the-road thoughts fuelled by rock lyrics that developed into his first poems. After completing his big journeys, a desire for new challenges led Marc to the University of Leeds, starting in 1995. He graduated with a PhD in 2005. The stimulus and stresses of university life and the rave-dance culture of that time provided further inspiration for Marc's poetry. Marc opted to become a freelance writer after graduating from university, and he is still working out of Leeds and the greenygrey.co.uk website. Marc had his first collection of poetry published by Chipmunka in 2009. It contained over ninety poems from his youth through to his first Folding Mirror (FM) poems. There are now over 200 FM poems on the fmpoetry.wordpress.com website that Marc administrates. This '242' book contains the FM poems created since Marc's first collection was published, together with old and new thoughts and poems. Marc has also had several poems published by independent poetry publications, a Saturn FM poem featured in a musical composition, and the Folding Mirror form was included in Lewis Turco's definitive 'The Book of Forms: A Handbook of Poetics, Including Odd and Invented Forms'.