Hayward has continued to publish poems steadily over the years, including, recently, in "Damazine" and "Contemporary World Literature", and his second major collection of poems ― titled "Splitting the Moon: A Collection of Islamic Poetry" ― was published by Kube in April 2012. The "Muslim News" reviewer wrote: "Joel Hayward is a very skilful and gifted poet whose way with words is impressive. His poems are easy to understand, highly pertinent and equally spiritually profound. ... They also provide a powerful commentary on the social, political, moral and religious challenges and difficulties currently facing Muslims and non-Muslims alike. ... is able to blend the personal, emotional, spiritual and existential dimensions of human experience, and do so without in any way over-playing or undermining any aspect. This is a very rare skill for a poet to possess."