Lighter weight books
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For light books up to 250g
Learning to Tango Liz McSkeane
Paperback: Poetry 62 pages
ISBN: 9781913598181
This collection is an exuberant, playful, sometimes intense reflection on navigating the challenges of movement, the dynamics of the dance floor and the
world beyond it. The poet makes many discoveries along the way – about the dance, about the quest for the ideal and the necessary acceptance of imperfection. Throughout the collection, the mischievous use of traditional and non traditional poetic forms conveys the variety and skill of tango itself. And at the heart of the endeavour is a passion to imbue every step, however basic, with balance and grace, for 'in tango the walk is simple/and therefore takes a lifetime to learn.'
Crunch Anamaría Crowe Serrano
Paperback: Poetry 52 pages
ISBN 9780995791626
Anamaría Crowe Serrano's intriguing experimental work pushes the boundaries of the poetic form in ways that invigorate and challenge readers to accompany her as she guides us through this garden of delights. With alternating pitch-perfect insight, deadpan humour and wit, Crunch revives old myths and breathes new life into deeply philosophical themes – the dynamics of knowledge and power, the nature of the self. In 2018, María Reimóndez translated Crunch into Galician. Ñam, published by Malinche Books, was launched at the Poema Ria Festival, Vigo that year. A daring and exciting work.
Quarantena Nina Karacosta
Paperback: Poetry 60 pages
ISBN 9781913598143
Quarantena is an intriguing meditation on the fifty days of the Paris lockdown during the COVID 19 pandemic, from March – May 2020. The collection is composed of fifty poems, one for every day, and reflect the practical, emotional and psychological journey of the writer through that strange time, as well as the wider social roots and impact of the experience. Quarantena explores the nuances of interpersonal communication, and the ways in which isolation and connection with the deepest recess of identity echo different facets of the self. A profound reflection on the strangest of times.
bind Christine Murray
Paperback: poetry 58 pages
ISBN: 9780995791640
bind is a daring, experimental meditation on the natural world, traversing the course of the day, from daybreak to dusk, in different seasons. The poet's magical, mysterious vision draws the reader into an interior world conveyed by delicate, startling images. These are not separate poems but rather, a single, book-length poem set out in fragments that are bound together by the poet's unique sensibility and her intriguing use of space and punctuation. The skilfully wrought poetic fragments which make up the fabric of this remarkable tapestry of light and shade, plant life and human, find their way into the reader's consciousness like a haunting melody.
Gold Friend Chris Murray
Paperback: poetry 70 pages
ISBN: 9781913598105
"At a time of environmental crisis, Gold Friend speaks powerfully of the ties that bind our living world. Chris Murray illuminates the relationship between
dependence and freedom, and meditates on the creative necessity for close observation.
These oblique poems can suddenly dazzle with their play of substance and light, as they move from the hidden intricacy of root systems to the beetle's reflective sheen. As well as bearing witness to the strange beauty of the natural world, these innovative poems testify to the remarkable intensity of human perception. They deserve our closest attention."
Lucy Collins
Alchemy Fiona Perry
Paperback Poetry 62 pages
ISBN 9781913598129
Alchemy is an intriguing and compelling début collection from a poet who is already strikingly in command of her craft. Mingling daily life with the numinous, these poems reflect on love and loss, on the milestones of lived experience.
Travelling through time and space, this collection evokes the magic of ancient birds in a New Zealand landscape, the intensive care ward where a loved one lies dying; the daily round of household tasks and the dreamworlds where memory, imagination and reality merge.
Alchemy was runner up in the 2021 Poetry Book Awards and also, shortlisted in the 2022 Rubery Award.
So Long, Calypso Liz McSkeane
Paperback: Poetry 62 pages
ISBN 9780995791602
The conversational tone of many of the poems in this collection belies the subtle craft that underlies and unifies disparate themes. So Long, Calypso is peopled by a cast of characters recognisable from ancient history and myth, from recent history and from contemporary culture. The musings of these various personae are by turns reflective and urgent, their concerns social and political, as well as deeply engaged with navigating the challenges of different stages of life.
White Horses Jo Burns
Paperback: Poetry 112 pages
ISBN 9780995791657
In this remarkable début collection, the poet explores the legacy of growing up in Northern Ireland during the Troubles and how her world view matures through engagement with other countries and cultures. These beautifully crafted poems, which include a series giving voice to the lovers of Pablo Picasso, probe a diverse range of social and personal topics: gender equality, motherhood, faith and social justice. White Horses contains several prize
winning poems, including The Cosmic Horseshoe – winning poem in the Magma Poetry Competition (Judges' Prize) 2018 and Hard Borders, which won the New Irish Writing in Germany /Wild Word Award, 2018.
Brink by Jo Burns
Paperback Poetry 64 pages
ISBN: 9781913598242
Brink is a work that bears witness to a world hovering on the edge of crisis, yet sees hope in the compassion and empathy in personal relationships which forge the unbreakable bonds that bind us. From her vantage point of the post-truth, pandemic-afflicted present, Jo Burns turns her fierce analytical
powers on the most tragic historical events of the 20th century, and on the impact of propaganda and conspiracy theories on public and private discourse in the present day.
These arresting poems are imbued with the multi-layered, highly textured craft of a poet at the height of her powers, engaging with the most urgent questions of our time
How To Sleep With Strangers Ross Hattaway
Paperback: poetry 70 pages
ISBN: 9780995791619
These innovative, contemporary poems both entertain and challenge readers to examine assumptions and stereotypes. Hattaway's laconic and playful tone often lulls the reader into a false sense of security, until the poet expertly delivers the incisive line or phrase that stops us in our tracks. The succinct expression and deceptively straightforward language distil the poet's message to intense and powerful effect. Funny, often poignant, always compelling, How to Sleep with Strangers is a triumph of wit and wisdom.
Plain by Ross Hattaway
Hattaway’s signature pared-back style reveals the starkness at the heart of life experiences – the joys, griefs and expectations of family and interpersonal
connection. The satirical, playful flavour of these poems is tinged with an underlying sadness, seasoned with a dash of optimism. This interwoven, complex psychological and emotional landscape imbues this collection with a multi-layered complexity that belies the clarity and simplicity of expression.
The detached voice, now teasing the reader with deadpan wit, now teetering cheerfully on the abyss, unflinchingly gazes upon 'sadness/at the heart of things’ yet emerges resilient, resisting, surviving.
Secret Poets Darren Donohue
Paperback: Poetry 74 pages
ISBN: 9781913598303
In this remarkable début collection, the poet reflects on a medley of chance encounters with strangers, on joyful or poignant moments with loved ones, on art and the creative process. Mining the minutiae of memory and daily life, these poems explore the challenges of grappling with the modern world, with technology and the many facets of communication, with both strangers and loved ones. The poet's themes are imbued with the flavour of his home place, the Irish Midlands, which he evokes with great affection.