The Republic of Motherhood

Birmingham based Liz Berry’s most recent offering is a pamphlet of varied and relentlessly honest poems about new motherhood. At times heartbreakingly loving, at others pulling a sideways punch at the world as the new mother, this fierce yet poignant little collection is not afraid to expose the complexity of the experience, including its morally Read More

Loop of Jade ( Winner of the 2015 T S Eliot Prize for Poetry)

Back cover blurbs may be accurate but they can also be misleading. Loop of Jade is described as an exploration “of a dual heritage” – Chinese and British – a “journeying back… in search of her roots”. My heart sank a little. Without diminishing the importance of such endeavours, the intervening three decades of identity Read More