Unsafe: SHORTLISTED FOR THE FORWARD PRIZES 2026

by Karen McCarthy Woolf

Bloomsbury presents Unsafe, written and read by Karen McCarthy Woolf,

POETRY BOOK SOCIETY CHOICE

The third collection from T. S. Eliot Prize-shortlisted poet, essayist and editor Karen McCarthy Woolf

'A work of intense epiphany' ROGER ROBINSON
'Unsafe will stay with me forever' SAFIA ELHILLO
'As urgent as it is meditative and thought provoking' PRETI TANEJA
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A disenchanted walk through the afterlives of colonialism across London and LA, Unsafe illuminates the effects of capitalism on those who live at its sharp end.

Situated in the midst of a reckoning with a politics of enclosure, Unsafe is an immersive meditation on place, the body, nature and the self. Whether it’s via tattoos, trees or the totemic quality of cats, McCarthy Woolf pulls us into the processes of gentrification and class division with an immediacy that makes them impossible to ignore.

A moving, critical and highly intuitive epic weaving together poetry, documentary and lyric essay, Unsafe is an interrogation of what it means to be a citizen and testimony to the remaining spaces we can call free.
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'One of the most intellectually daring writers of our generation' MONA ARSHI
'McCarthy Woolf possesses a rare, uncanny power' KIT FAN

Genres: Poetry

Audible Audio

Published February 12, 2026

Reviews

[Meriam Shams]

"the Fence does not take sides






its loyalty lies within the Great Divide"

[Tom Collingridge]

Effectively one long poem, this fascinating and often compelling 'narrative' takes as its springboard scathing lines from John Clare attacking England's claim to liberty, which are as relevant to today's UK and USA as 200 or so years ago.

Also peppered with some great photos, nevertheless, at 13 quid for 124 pages containing for the most part no more than 2 or 3 short lines, this book must be the most pounds-per-word expensive book I've bought in a while.

[Stephanie]

4.5 stars

[Sunny]

Stunning. It says so very much, so succinctly. Read it.

[Erica Lewis]

Brilliant and powerful, beautiful and poignant.

The use of white space is masterful.

An excellent and moving and provoking piece of work.