As In Judy

by Rosie Garland

"She combs her hair long, a black sheet to cover the new mouth at the back of her neck, where angry stories leak out..." Behind the scenes in the life and mind of the award-winning poet, novelist, groundbreaking performance artist and singer with The March Violets, Rosie Garland (as in Judy). "You spend all that time trying to understand the world, its family relationships, friendships, social systems through a serial adventure of episodes mundane and or memorable. You spend all that time trying to fit into the human. Then, you are propelled into realisation through a life-threatening disease. Travelling not outward into the world but inward to the beating heart of the matter, you dive deep into the DNA. You are the resplendent there. You are the clicking queen of the insects. When you dress again in flesh and skin, you go amongst the sleeping humans and new and glittering worlds are left in your wake. Welcome to Rosie Garland!" - John Hyatt "One of the reasons I love Rosie's work so much is because she provides food for thought. She addresses issues that need addressing, and imagines the inner and outer landscapes we all inhabit with eloquence and grace. Shine your light, Rosie." - David Hoyle AKA The Divine David Adult poetry / LGBT+

Genres: Poetry

Paperback

Published January 1, 2016

About the author

Born in London to a runaway teenager, Rosie has always been a cuckoo in the nest. She's an eclectic writer and performer, ranging from singing in post-punk gothic band The March Violets, through touring with the Subversive Stitch exhibition in the 90s to her alter-ego Rosie Lugosi the Vampire Queen, cabaret chanteuse and mistress of ceremonies.

She has published five solo collections of poetry and her award-winning short stories, poems and essays have been widely anthologized. She is winner of the DaDa Award for Performance Artist of the Year and a Poetry Award from the People's Café, New York. Her most recent poetry collection, 'Everything Must Go' (Holland Park Press 2012) draws on her experience of throat cancer.

She won the Mslexia Novel competition in 2012 and her debut novel 'The Palace of Curiosities' was published in March 2013 by HarperCollins. Her second novel, 'Vixen', (Borough Press 2014) is now available in all formats.

Reviews

[Neil Fulwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hell of a collection, this: muscular, straight-talking poems forged from experience both personal and universal. Garland (as in Judy) doesn’t shy away from awkward memories or thorny subjects, but it’s not all take-on-the-world belligerence. There’s sensitivity here, and sensuousness. Garland is intuitively attuned to how the world works - and not afraid to challenge it - and to what makes the messy business of being human worth it.

[Annette Boehm · Rating 5 out of 5]

This poetry collection makes a highly enjoyable read.
For an in-depth review, visit my blogpost about this book at https://outsideofacat.wordpress.com/2... :)

[Arlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is brilliant. A typically imaginative reflection on life, death, sexuality, classic mythology and Suffragettism. Highly recommend.

[Dani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rosie is a very talented poet and I really enjoyed this book.

She has a very memorable way of speaking and reciting her poems so I read every one of them in her voice

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is, for me, a mixed collection. I liked and loved the poems in the first half to varying degrees... and then hated the second half (covering the 'Flesh and Skin' section) and then was ambivalent about the final 'Syrinx' section, but that could have just been reader fatigue.

Standouts were the opening poem 'Asking for Directions' (my favourite of the collection), 'We Are Gathered Here Today', 'Waving at Trains', 'Dismantled', 'Personal Questions' and 'Departure Lounge' (the only one I enjoyed in the 'Flesh and Skin' section.