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Empty Nest: Poems for Families
In this stunning anthology Carol Ann Duffy has selected 99 poems exploring parenting.
The special bond between parent and child is both powerful and unique. And yet there is a time when that bond must ease, where our grip on that dear one must loosen, when we must let them go whether we are ready to or not.
In Empty Nest, a beautiful selection of modern and classic poems range along the tender line between parent and child, covering growing old, the deep love of a parent, the everyday of family life and leaving home to live an independent life, but also unthinkable grief, loss and estrangement. Some of our very favourite poets feature in the selection, such as Elizabeth Bishop, Jackie Kay, Simon Armitage, Shakespeare, Imtiaz Dharker, Seamus Heaney and Don Paterson.
These poems are by turns wry, affecting, profound, melancholy and wise; they will console and comfort those suddenly facing a house that's much cleaner but also much quieter than it was. There is something here for every reader to treasure.
The special bond between parent and child is both powerful and unique. And yet there is a time when that bond must ease, where our grip on that dear one must loosen, when we must let them go whether we are ready to or not.
In Empty Nest, a beautiful selection of modern and classic poems range along the tender line between parent and child, covering growing old, the deep love of a parent, the everyday of family life and leaving home to live an independent life, but also unthinkable grief, loss and estrangement. Some of our very favourite poets feature in the selection, such as Elizabeth Bishop, Jackie Kay, Simon Armitage, Shakespeare, Imtiaz Dharker, Seamus Heaney and Don Paterson.
These poems are by turns wry, affecting, profound, melancholy and wise; they will console and comfort those suddenly facing a house that's much cleaner but also much quieter than it was. There is something here for every reader to treasure.
- GenresPoetry
128 pages, Hardcover
Published June 1, 2021
10 people are currently reading
137 people want to read
About the author
Carol Ann Duffy
165 books733 followersDame Carol Ann Duffy, DBE, FRSL is a Scottish poet and playwright. She is Professor of Contemporary Poetry at Manchester Metropolitan University, and was appointed Britain's Poet Laureate in May 2009.
She is the first woman, the first Scot, and the first openly LGBT person to hold this position.
Her collections include Standing Female Nude (1985), winner of a Scottish Arts Council Award; Selling Manhattan (1987), which won a Somerset Maugham Award; Mean Time (1993), which won the Whitbread Poetry Award; and Rapture (2005), winner of the T. S. Eliot Prize.
Her poems address issues such as oppression, gender, and violence, in an accessible language that has made them popular in schools.
She is the first woman, the first Scot, and the first openly LGBT person to hold this position.
Her collections include Standing Female Nude (1985), winner of a Scottish Arts Council Award; Selling Manhattan (1987), which won a Somerset Maugham Award; Mean Time (1993), which won the Whitbread Poetry Award; and Rapture (2005), winner of the T. S. Eliot Prize.
Her poems address issues such as oppression, gender, and violence, in an accessible language that has made them popular in schools.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 10, 2023
a poetry collection that found me at the perfect time…
so many new favourites in here 🫶
so many new favourites in here 🫶
March 15, 2021
Firstly, I’d like to say a huge thanks to the publisher for kindly gifting an ARC for me to read and review. Secondly, this collection of poetry is absolutely exquisite! You must grab a copy straight away! It has left a huge impression on me and I cannot get some of these poems out of my head.
I could have raced through this collection (a part of me wanted to) but I decided to slow down, take my time and it gave me more of an opportunity to appreciate the meaning and nuance to every carefully-chosen word. And I’m so glad I did. This is an anthology to really savour.
These 99 poems paint a raw and honest picture of what family means, the depth and power that exists within. The emotional acuity threaded through the pages is phenomenal. Trauma, loss, grief. Love, loss, longing. It explores many themes, including the relationships between mothers and daughters, fathers and sons. It is raw and exposed and the prose is honest, wise and haunting.
These poems stretch your imagination, understanding and perception, a new lens, a fresh outlook. I needed a minute to absorb and appreciate each poem after reading but I also needed it to emotionally recover before moving onto the next. These poems are beautiful – and beautifully collected into what is one of the most moving anthologies I’ve had the pleasure of reading!
The range of authors is magnificent, from the great lady herself, Carol Ann Duffy, to Jackie Kay, Robert Frost, even Shakespeare.
I honestly don’t think I can pick a favourite but a few that stick in my mind are Piano by Jackie Kay, Separation by W S Merwin and Shard by Ella Duffy.
At the back of the book is a blank page for you to write your own poem and I just think this is such a wonderful detail. This book should be on every bookcase in every home. It’s wonderful! And as I’m writing this review, my sister is currently reading it, sending me snapshots of her favourite lines. It’s such a powerful collection. I loved it! Highly recommend!
I could have raced through this collection (a part of me wanted to) but I decided to slow down, take my time and it gave me more of an opportunity to appreciate the meaning and nuance to every carefully-chosen word. And I’m so glad I did. This is an anthology to really savour.
These 99 poems paint a raw and honest picture of what family means, the depth and power that exists within. The emotional acuity threaded through the pages is phenomenal. Trauma, loss, grief. Love, loss, longing. It explores many themes, including the relationships between mothers and daughters, fathers and sons. It is raw and exposed and the prose is honest, wise and haunting.
These poems stretch your imagination, understanding and perception, a new lens, a fresh outlook. I needed a minute to absorb and appreciate each poem after reading but I also needed it to emotionally recover before moving onto the next. These poems are beautiful – and beautifully collected into what is one of the most moving anthologies I’ve had the pleasure of reading!
The range of authors is magnificent, from the great lady herself, Carol Ann Duffy, to Jackie Kay, Robert Frost, even Shakespeare.
I honestly don’t think I can pick a favourite but a few that stick in my mind are Piano by Jackie Kay, Separation by W S Merwin and Shard by Ella Duffy.
At the back of the book is a blank page for you to write your own poem and I just think this is such a wonderful detail. This book should be on every bookcase in every home. It’s wonderful! And as I’m writing this review, my sister is currently reading it, sending me snapshots of her favourite lines. It’s such a powerful collection. I loved it! Highly recommend!
March 5, 2024
Good book of poetry about families in all their different forms.
Couple of favourites
Of course 'you are old father William '
But some poems and poets I'd never heard of:
- my son is stepping out - Stevenson
- soap suds - Macniece
- Conversation with fantasy mother - Chan
Really diverse set of poetry, good picks.
Couple of favourites
Of course 'you are old father William '
But some poems and poets I'd never heard of:
- my son is stepping out - Stevenson
- soap suds - Macniece
- Conversation with fantasy mother - Chan
Really diverse set of poetry, good picks.
January 1, 2024
The flaws in suicide are clear
apart from causing bother
to those alive who hold us dear
we could miss one another
we might be trapped eternally
oblivious to each other
one crying “where are you, my child”
the other calling “mother”.
oh.
apart from causing bother
to those alive who hold us dear
we could miss one another
we might be trapped eternally
oblivious to each other
one crying “where are you, my child”
the other calling “mother”.
oh.
May 29, 2023
Just not a fan of poetry.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews