Short on time? Seek out ‘From the ashes of a poet’ about rebirth and the weirdness of being a poet and ‘Contradiction’ about women who don’t fit neatly in a box. Beautifully honest, painful at times and exploring love, loneliness and being a loser, Gen observes, comments and invites us to think critically about ourselves and the people around us. The Dance of a Thousand Losers is in two sections, Lost and Found, and all the poems are characterised as much by what is said as what is not said. Her sets are a tour de force of rich, northern culture with a goth edge. Gen Walsh is a punk poet, a performer through and through (and an all-round cool and lovely person). ‘the best bits of your life will have involved losers finding each other’ The Dance Of A Thousand Losers – Genevieve L Walsh Short on time? Seek out ‘They will always be more beautiful than you’ about the part envy and hate plays in political wars, and ‘The Lesson’ about the inadequacy of dismissing hatred as insanity. In this new collection Walker proves she is still a relevant and gracious voice in our ever violent and ugly world. In her new poetry book she mixes autobiography with politics, waxing lyrical (literally) about activism, the environment and gratitude for what we still have. Yes, that Alice Walker, author of The Colour Purple. ‘I myself do not believe in political parties’ Taking The Arrow Out Of The Heart – Alice Walker Short on time? Seek out ‘It Didn’t Mean Me’ by Gill Lambert, which looks at the microaggressions of toxic masculinity and #MeToo by Sarah Doyle about the difficulty in calling sexual violence what it is. In turns heart breaking and hopeful, there is really something for everyone. A cornucopia of voices explores what #MeToo means to them, from investigations of the culture that permits male violence to recollections of experiences. ‘It is as if she sleeps on a girder fearful of falling’Ĭreated in response to the #MeToo movement with all profits going to Women’s Aid and edited by the Emergency Poet herself, Deborah Alma, this anthology is a must read. Short on time? Seek out ‘Worth It’ about a breaking up and breaking in shoes and ‘Walk of shame in Seoul’ about not being ashamed walking home after a one-night stand. If Moments Were Places chronicles parts of the poet’s life in Spain, America and the UK and her well-travelled words will take you with her wherever she goes.
She has a way of weaving words into unexpected forms to make simple but devastatingly beautiful poems on love, loss, family and feminism.
It’s fair to say I am a little biased in her favour, however the reason I talked to her in the first place was because she had just done the most beautiful set of poetry I had ever heard. One of the first things I ever said to Alicia was that I liked her necklace about a year later, she gave me that necklace. If Moments Were Places – Alicia Fernandez Short on time? Seek out ‘Shadi’ about sexual assault and forced marriage, and ‘To Prevent Hypothermia’ about the importance of female friendships.
Asghar also makes use of the page in innovative ways, with poems being laid out within floor plans, crosswords and bingo sheets.
Each section starts with a poem called ‘Partition’ and these all explore the lasting legacy of the partition of India and Pakistan, but the poems also explore sexuality, femininity, family dynamics and politics. I saw the purple, the flowers, the group of entwined women and a quote from Nikesh Shukla and put it in my basket without looking any further. I’ll be honest: I bought this based purely on the cover.
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