The Illustrated Woman (SHORTLISTED, FORWARD PRIZE FOR BEST COLLECTION)

I picked up this title initially because I still blanche whenever my daughter shows me her new tattoos; but I also heard Helen Mort’s very interesting exchange with Lou Hopper about ‘getting inked’ on Radio 4’s One to One in February last year. Mort is, of course, an award-winning poet that is based in Sheffield and whose interests take in an astonishing range–mountain climbing, trail running, northern cites, conflict and motherhood—all handled with a sure and delicate lyricism, and a poet’s ear for the cadence and fall of the line. So The Illustrated Woman promised much.

Cain Named the Animal (Shortlisted, Forward Prize for Best Collection)

There are cracks running visibly through the poems in Cain Named the Animal. From reading reviews of American poet Shane McCrae’s earlier collections, National Book Award Finalist In the Language of My Captor and T S Eliot prize shortlisted Sometimes I Never Suffered,         cracks persist             throughout them too       as well as        no              punctuation           with space instead                  serving as a kind of                 punc-                           tuation     coupled with    stumbling repetitions               stumbling and the odd / line break             depicted odd          as you would write it in an essay or review.                    it is      an arresting device        and one that             initially to me, initially was       a         distraction                    seeming to get i              n the way    of me               hearing the poems                               in my head.

Sonnets for Albert (Shortlisted, Forward Prize for Best Collection)

The sonnet is a design classic; it retains its formal appeal, with contemporary giants such as Don Paterson and Imtiaz Dharker regularly inspired by its elegance and infinite variety. Trinidadian poet Anthony Joseph has used the form to explore his relationship with his father and with himself across a sequence of more than 50 poems.

Amnion (SHORTLISTED FOR THE FELIX DENNIX PRIZE FOR FIRST COLLECTION)

Stephanie Sy-Quia (Granta Poetry, 2021); pbk; £10.99 Amnion is the membrane which protects an embryo during pregnancy. Amnion by Stephanie Sy-Quia thrums with potential energy. Although shortlisted for the Forward Poetry Award, it is fluid in form, moving between poetry, essay and autofiction. Biography serves as a throughline, as Sy-Quia traces back her lineage, across Read More

Bless the Daughter Raised By a Voice In Her Head (Shortlisted for the Felix Dennix Prize for First Collection)

Somali-British poet, Warsan Shire draws us into the complexities of the transition from girl to woman, immigrant to citizen, in this, her much awaited and first full collection. With an array of accolades which include her much circulated and highly influential poem ‘Home’, and her work with Beyoncè Knowles-Carter on the Album Lemonade, this much awaited collection is written with sensitivity and without pretence. 

ADVENTURES IN RACIAL CAPITALISM

An entangled web of chains run through the Africa-shaped-afro of the figure on the front cover, complimenting the complex themes explored inside this poetry debut by Kev Inn: Adventures in Racial Capitalism. Here are stories of prejudice and hardships felt by the author to tales of home and hope.

The Goddesses of Water

Jeanette L. Clariond’s The Goddess of Water transmogrifies reality, bringing the reader into her world and holding them long after they have left the book behind. Clariond has published many collections and her ability to not only write poetry but craft it into such a deliberate, thoughtful structure speaks to her experience.  Every page proves a maze, drawing the reader in and leading them through the rich tapestry of Aztec myth, spoken with striking lyricism and intertwined skilfully with the all too contemporary subject of femicide and gendered violence in South America. 

THE TOP OF EACH RIPPLE

Manuel SolanoDCA until 20 November The DCA publicity for Manuel Solano’s exhibition announces that their work ‘recalls and celebrates childhood moments impacted by formative influences like family, friendships, cinema, television and pop music’. The gallery space utilises the contemporary white cube concept of display, (sanitized white walls, a spacious plan and a minimal bench allocation), Read More

Rifqa (SHORTLISTED, 2022 FORWARD POETRY PRIZES FOR BEST FIRST COLLECTION)

In this collection, Mohammed El-Kurd celebrates the life of his grandmother, the eponymous Rifqa, whom El-Kurd describes as ‘older than Israel’ and through his poetry, shows how Rifqa inspired him to bring the World’s attention to the plight of the Palestinian people. It is a challenging read, a lucid and angry voice against an unjust situation to which there seems no hope of resolution.

Disappearance / north sea poems /

Lesley Harrison(Shearsman Books, 2020); pbk £10.95  In her first full-length collection after multiple pamphlet publications, Lesley Harrison envisions a voyage towards healing humanity’s fractured bond with the natural world. Through archival documents, past voyages, and local myths deftly explored, Harrison ties the past and present together in the shared space of the North Sea. The Read More