Polly Atkin is a poet whose work is deeply concerned with the body, femininity, and our connection to the natural world. Her verse is characterized by its introspective depth and a skillful use of language that explores complex human emotions. Atkin masterfully crafts vivid imagery and compelling narratives that resonate with readers. Her writing is celebrated for its honesty and the unique perspective it offers on familiar experiences.
In Much With Body , Polly Atkin displays her gifts as a vibrant and provocative contemporary nature poet. The dramatic landscapes of the Lake District and the diaries of Dorothy Wordsworth give rise to these poems. A life-long negotiation with a set of chronic health conditions brings urgency to her warning we can’t expect nature to save us.
Set against the backdrop of the Lake District, the narrative explores the deep connection between Polly Atkin and the owls that inhabit her surroundings. It serves as a reflective meditation on the importance of listening amidst the chaos of modern life, capturing the beauty and serenity of nature during autumn nights. Atkin's lyrical prose invites readers to embrace quiet moments and discover the profound impact of the natural world.
Dorothy Wordsworth is well known as the author of the Alfoxden and Grasmere Journals (1798-1803) and as the sister of the English Romantic poet William Wordsworth. She is widely praised for her nature writing and is often remembered as a woman of great physical vitality. Less well known, however, is that Dorothy became seriously ill in 1829 and was mostly housebound for the last twenty years of her life. Her personal letters and unpublished journals from this time paint a portrait of a compassionate and creative woman who made her sickroom into a garden for herself and her pet robin and who finally grew to call herself a poet. They also reveal how vital Dorothy was to her brother's success, and the closeness they shared as siblings. By re-examining her life through the perspective of her illness, this biography allows Dorothy Wordsworth to step out from her brother's shadow and back into her own life story.
A raw and exquisite meditation on chronic illness and our place within the landscape, from prize-winning poet Polly Atkin