Summon

by Elizabeth Ridout

'This dazzling series shows that if the barriers can be vaulted there is true beauty to be had from the lesser-walked streets of literature. These works are both nourishing and inspiring, and a gift to any reader.' -- Kerry HudsonThe experience of living with the adventures and griefs of bipolar disorder forms the focus for this remarkable collection of poetry. Ridout uses the language of the fairy story and visceral images of the female form and femininity to explore how personal trauma and instability makes their mark on the wider world. Different voices and twisted accounts of the body and mind are combined with the mythological and the esoteric to create striking, beautifully unsettling and unusual poems each a celebration of the extremes of being human. SPOTLIGHT is an Arts Council England-supported collaboration between Myriad, Creative Future and New Writing South to discover, guide and support marginalised and under-represented writers. In the same Stroking Cerberus by Jacqueline Haskell; Memories of a Swedish Grandmother by Sarah Windebank; Summon by Elizabeth Ridout; Crumbs by Ana Tewson-Bozic and Cora Vincent by Georgina Aboud.

Genres: Poetry

64 pages, Paperback

Published January 29, 2020

Reviews

[Callum McLaughlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

As with many poetry collections, I found the pieces here pretty hit or miss, but the highlights made it well worth checking out. Rideout’s regular use of bold, visceral imagery ensured every piece was interesting to read, even if I didn’t necessarily connect on a personal level.

My favourite lines, from Dinner Table: “By addressing these divides, we are embroidering / in red along the branches of the family tapestry, / deadheading bloodlines that were dripping / down the generations and on to your tablecloth.”

[J.M. Langan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was recommended by a friend. It's dark and tantalising and a little bit fairytale in the style of Grimm rather than Disney. Nice.