Romalyn Ante's poetry delves into themes of identity and belonging, drawing from her Filipino heritage and experiences navigating life in the United Kingdom. Her work is characterized by a strong lyricism and a profound insight into the complexities of intercultural living. Ante explores how environments shape our sense of self and our connections to others. Her poems offer reflections on home, memory, and the search for one's place in the world.
'A day will come when you won't missthe country na nagluwal sa 'yo.'- 'Antiemetic for Homesickness'The poems in Romalyn Ante's luminous debut build a bridge between two worlds: journeying from the country 'na nagluwal sa 'yo' - that gave birth to you - to a new life in the United Kingdom.
The Poetry School and Nine Arches Press are delighted Primers Volume 3, a book showcasing short debut collections of work from their annual scheme to allow talented poets to find publication through a programme of supportive feedback and mentoring. The Primers scheme provides an important platform for emerging poets who are seeking to develop their writing and build towards a full collection of poems. With the involvement of Jane Commane (Nine Arches poetry editor), Hannah Lowe (poet) and the Poetry School, Primers 3 will nurture and support new talent that may otherwise not find an outlet. It also aims to provide an important opportunity for poets to develop their skills, work on their poetry practice, and find audiences for their work. Following editing and mentoring with Hannah and Jane, Primers Volume 3 is published by Nine Arches Press. A series of live events will showcase the three chosen poets at festivals and shows around the country.
After All We Have Travelled, the debut poetry collection by Sarala Estruch, is a distinctive journey across time, continents and cultures, through memory and generations of family history, exploring the long legacies of empire and its personal and political effects. It is a story of intergenerational trauma, grief and disconnection, but it is also a story of the enduring power of love, of connection, and of embarking into motherhood. Combining elements of memoir, biography, and fiction with formal and experimental poetry, Estruch's work explores the losses incurred by forbidden interracial and intercultural marriage, and is a potent reclamation of voice, story, and mixed-race identity. An important, compelling collection, it asks: What or who is family? What or where is home? And like the modern rose - a hybrid species with origins spanning the globe - to where do we return? 'After All We Have Travelled follows a young woman discovering her own complex history across cultures and languages, religions and lost histories. Where family mythologies meet silence, memory gives an emotive reasoning, singing into the void left by death and distance, using the lyric voice of self-making. This book charts a new terrain, a multiplicity of being mapped for future generations whose relationship to home is as yet unknown to its forebears.' - Sandeep Parmar
In Say, Sarala Estruch explores the limits of language in the face of overwhelming loss and attempts to forge a language with which to probe subjects that still remain largely taboo. In doing so, Say casts a slant light on the scars our ancestors carry, both those we inherit and those we choose... číst celé
Exploring the intersection of personal and collective trauma, this collection weaves together the poet's experiences as a nurse during the COVID-19 pandemic with her Filipino heritage. The narrative reflects on themes of love, loss, and resilience, particularly in the context of historical suffering and contemporary crises. Mythical elements, such as the goddess Mebuyan, provide a lens through which to examine healing and empowerment. The poems serve as both a source of strength and a call to action, inviting readers to confront their own struggles and seek solace.