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In Her Jaws
In her debut collection, Rosamund Taylor dares us across thresholds and invites us to glimpse the world as we’ve never seen it before. She boldly charts a journey of survival and transformation with poems on history reimagined, astronomy, sorcery, wild landscapes, talismanic creatures, and queer love.
Taylor explores what it means to live in a female body that is not defined by lack, or want, or perpetual suffering, but is possessed by a real and defined sense of erotic autonomy.
These poems burn from the inside out with possibility, and there is magic, mystery and reclamation at every turn. In Her Jaws is a landmark debut that extends and deepens the Irish tradition of writing the female perspective, while also breaking new ground.
Taylor explores what it means to live in a female body that is not defined by lack, or want, or perpetual suffering, but is possessed by a real and defined sense of erotic autonomy.
These poems burn from the inside out with possibility, and there is magic, mystery and reclamation at every turn. In Her Jaws is a landmark debut that extends and deepens the Irish tradition of writing the female perspective, while also breaking new ground.
70 pages, Paperback
Published May 19, 2022
4 people are currently reading
124 people want to read
About the author
Rosamund Taylor
2 books205 followersRosamund Taylor’s first collection In Her Jaws, was published by Banshee Press in May 2022, and shortlisted for the Seamus Heaney Poetry Prize for a First Collection and longlisted for the Polari First Book Prize. In 2025, she is published Reflections Glimmer: Poems Exploring Ekphrasis (Tapsalteerie Press) and Filly, a novel-in-verse (Banshee Press).
A selection of her poetry won the Mairtín Crawford Award at the Belfast Book Festival in 2017. Her poem 'The Proof' won the London Magazine Poetry Competition in 2020; in 2023, her poem 'Why Whistlejacket?' won the Telegraph Poetry Competition, and in 2025 her poem 'Beryl' won the Rialto Nature and Place poetry competition. Her work has been broadcast on RTE radio’s The Poetry Programme and on BBC Radio 4’s Poetry Please.
She has published over fifty poems in Ireland, Canada, the US and the UK. Recently, her poems have appeared in Fourteen Poems, Mslexia, The Butcher’s Dog, The Rialto and Poetry Ireland Review as well as numerous anthologies, including 'Queering the Green' and 'He She They Us.'
A selection of her poetry won the Mairtín Crawford Award at the Belfast Book Festival in 2017. Her poem 'The Proof' won the London Magazine Poetry Competition in 2020; in 2023, her poem 'Why Whistlejacket?' won the Telegraph Poetry Competition, and in 2025 her poem 'Beryl' won the Rialto Nature and Place poetry competition. Her work has been broadcast on RTE radio’s The Poetry Programme and on BBC Radio 4’s Poetry Please.
She has published over fifty poems in Ireland, Canada, the US and the UK. Recently, her poems have appeared in Fourteen Poems, Mslexia, The Butcher’s Dog, The Rialto and Poetry Ireland Review as well as numerous anthologies, including 'Queering the Green' and 'He She They Us.'
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
February 21, 2024
Provocative, fierce and sometimes achingly tender, Rosamund Taylor’s debut collection is full of surprises. There are homages to the queer or iconic, sometimes both, from nods to poet Paul Celan to pieces that conjure imagined encounters with figures that include Jeanne D’Arc – as inspired by Anne Carson – and Dora Richter. Alongside these are poems stemming from aspects of the Dublin-based, writer’s life: from a memorable series of love poems to her wife Milena including standouts like “Pride 2017” and “We Lose Our Edges”; to harrowing scenes taken from childhood, and later, experiences of intense vulnerability, sometimes in the grip of numerous psychiatrists seeking to label and contain. There are some striking images here, particularly in the celebrations of animality, of the metamorphic, of wild, untamed, but glorious nature. Memory, history, heritage and identity, and perceptions of the ancient and mythic weave through these too - some foreshadowed by the lines from Lolly Willowes that open Taylor's book. I find some poetry difficult to approach or interpret, it’s not the most familiar territory for me, but Taylor’s poetry manages to be both accessible and complex, direct and immediate yet thoughtful and sophisticated – often personally relatable in ways I hadn’t anticipated.
May 19, 2022
In Her Jaws is everything I want from Irish poetry today. It is rich and raw, full of powerful imagery that evokes witches and sapphic love while also portraying a true and vulnerable journey of survival. As a first collection it is remarkably assured and touchingly open in the way that it welcomes you into her life and loves.
The descriptions of nature and woodland feel wild and practically quiver to life off of the page. Her identification with women of the past resonate is poems full of memory and past trauma.
A stunning collection that is deserving of a place along with Doireann Ní Ghríofa, Jessica Traynor and Paula Meehan. Bone chillingly enchanting.
The descriptions of nature and woodland feel wild and practically quiver to life off of the page. Her identification with women of the past resonate is poems full of memory and past trauma.
A stunning collection that is deserving of a place along with Doireann Ní Ghríofa, Jessica Traynor and Paula Meehan. Bone chillingly enchanting.
August 28, 2022
In Her Jaws is the debut collection of Rosamund Taylor, published by Irish-based Banshee Press. Mainly written in free verse, Taylor's themes are cut an ambitious swathe: nature, queer love, family history and historical personae. The poems are written to engage all senses, a rare achievement in a contemporary poetry scene dominated by visual imagery, sight above all else. For example, traumatic memory in "A Particular Scent of Salt" is tied to smell and touch:
And the imagination of possible futures, too, is built with colour and smell ("When I Was Twelve"):
Taylor's attentive eye is best appreciated in her poems based on historical figures, such as "The Light Comes in the Name of the Voice". Woven with repeating strands of description -- variations on light and fire -- Taylor deftly captures the mortal life and godly-inspiration that Jeanne d'Arc experienced ("Her breath / a shape in the frost. Then the light, / the voice: always now."). Part of the new wave of queer poets in Ireland, it will be worth watching where Taylor goes with her second collection.
What colour are your knickers today?
He pushes my skirt up, up, up,
over knees, crotch, hip, waist.
The heat of his breath. Smell
of crisps, eggs. Everyone laughs
but later, in class, another girl
presses tissues into my hand.
A long time now...
And the imagination of possible futures, too, is built with colour and smell ("When I Was Twelve"):
..a mushroom child:
when I squeeze her, she spills spores
like a puffball, and smells
of late-autumn orchards.
Taylor's attentive eye is best appreciated in her poems based on historical figures, such as "The Light Comes in the Name of the Voice". Woven with repeating strands of description -- variations on light and fire -- Taylor deftly captures the mortal life and godly-inspiration that Jeanne d'Arc experienced ("Her breath / a shape in the frost. Then the light, / the voice: always now."). Part of the new wave of queer poets in Ireland, it will be worth watching where Taylor goes with her second collection.
August 16, 2022
I've been reading In Her Jaws for a few weeks and I absolutely adored every second.
I've been trying to read more poetry over the past year. It's been up and down but I can soundly say that Rosamund Taylor has been added to the favourites pile. In Her Jaws is poignent and beautifully written. From her loving poems about her wife and Pride, to the self-admonishing 'The Names We Called You Meant Nothing to Me', I was enraptured.
I've been trying to read more poetry over the past year. It's been up and down but I can soundly say that Rosamund Taylor has been added to the favourites pile. In Her Jaws is poignent and beautifully written. From her loving poems about her wife and Pride, to the self-admonishing 'The Names We Called You Meant Nothing to Me', I was enraptured.
March 10, 2024
to be a witch it to touch & taste the stars. it’s running on all fours in the wilderness & feeling the wind on your fur. i loved this poets work & i can’t wait for her to release more. she captured the vilification of girlhood in a way i never thought of & the terrible rights of passage that force us into womanhood when we aren’t ready.
April 14, 2023
Luscious
January 6, 2025
Favs - Old Quarry (yes yes yes), The Names We Called You Meant Nothing To Me, A Descent, Since the Wound Occurred, The Polish for Beetroot Is Burak, Ursa Major, Buddleia, Pride 2017 (yes yes yes), We Lose Our Edges (yes yes yes), When My Wife Is A Snail, A Werewolf, Sheep’s Head Peninsula (yes yes yes)
August 4, 2023
Such a raw beauty
March 1, 2023
No poetry book has ever made me feel this way before - this is pure talent.
“I am small
as a rabbit against her
yet I feel huge
as the forest she longs for.”
“I am small
as a rabbit against her
yet I feel huge
as the forest she longs for.”
August 13, 2023
Rosamund Taylor’s poetry collection In Her Jaws presents intense personal pieces about various sentiments, sexuality, and lesbian romance. The poems vary in many aspects. — This debut has been shortlisted for the Seamus Heaney Prize.
The opener might be seen as a light-hearted poem about sympathising — or even identifying — with a squirrel. The tone quickly changes with the following pieces, as the topics move to Joanne of Arc, traumatic events in childhood, and sexual assault. From then on the book doesn’t become any brighter for many pages. There’s a rape victim longing for death, or a cat trying to prevent self-harm, and other things not easy on the stomach.
My favourite poem in this book might be Portrait Of My Anxiety As An Imp, which is the only poem to use a rhyme scheme. This makes its rhythm jumpy and helps imagining the similarity and contrast between a funny little creature and the uncontrollable nature of heavy anxiety.
Some poems dissatisfy in some regards. For example, Sandra feels like an unpolished short story without an ending. We Become Witches brings a historic female astronomer in proximity to witchcraft, which might be very well an utter disservice to such a figure. In a bit titled Buddleia the lyrical ego remarks the following after a planned one-night-stand: ‘His cock disappointed me: hot/ and wrinkled, like a small mammal/ a mole.’ Whether or not this qualifies as genitalia-shaming or not is up for debate, but if one were to imagine a male poet writing similar lines about a woman, it becomes quite clear how that would disqualify that book immediately from all the shortlists for awards Taylor finds herself these days.
In its last third, Taylor’s collection changes to a more romantic side of hers. Just after a poem about urinating on a meadow after sexual intercourse or perhaps even a side affair, a very sweet and comfy lesbian marriage poem titled Pride 2017 awaits the reader. A playful series named When My Wife Is… and two more poems conclude the collection.
Rosamund Taylor’s debut leads the reader through a life of dark experiences, but also through many happy turns and beautiful moments. Without a doubt In Her Jaws is an interesting collection. Nonetheless, honesty demands to say that many underlying tones and ideas left a rather sour taste. The often simple (if not bland) style wouldn’t let me join the common laudation for this book.
The opener might be seen as a light-hearted poem about sympathising — or even identifying — with a squirrel. The tone quickly changes with the following pieces, as the topics move to Joanne of Arc, traumatic events in childhood, and sexual assault. From then on the book doesn’t become any brighter for many pages. There’s a rape victim longing for death, or a cat trying to prevent self-harm, and other things not easy on the stomach.
My favourite poem in this book might be Portrait Of My Anxiety As An Imp, which is the only poem to use a rhyme scheme. This makes its rhythm jumpy and helps imagining the similarity and contrast between a funny little creature and the uncontrollable nature of heavy anxiety.
Some poems dissatisfy in some regards. For example, Sandra feels like an unpolished short story without an ending. We Become Witches brings a historic female astronomer in proximity to witchcraft, which might be very well an utter disservice to such a figure. In a bit titled Buddleia the lyrical ego remarks the following after a planned one-night-stand: ‘His cock disappointed me: hot/ and wrinkled, like a small mammal/ a mole.’ Whether or not this qualifies as genitalia-shaming or not is up for debate, but if one were to imagine a male poet writing similar lines about a woman, it becomes quite clear how that would disqualify that book immediately from all the shortlists for awards Taylor finds herself these days.
In its last third, Taylor’s collection changes to a more romantic side of hers. Just after a poem about urinating on a meadow after sexual intercourse or perhaps even a side affair, a very sweet and comfy lesbian marriage poem titled Pride 2017 awaits the reader. A playful series named When My Wife Is… and two more poems conclude the collection.
Rosamund Taylor’s debut leads the reader through a life of dark experiences, but also through many happy turns and beautiful moments. Without a doubt In Her Jaws is an interesting collection. Nonetheless, honesty demands to say that many underlying tones and ideas left a rather sour taste. The often simple (if not bland) style wouldn’t let me join the common laudation for this book.
June 4, 2023
This is a fine debut collection. Shortlisted for the Seamus Heaney Prize.
It's intense, romantic, clear, and passionate. The world would be a better place if everyone had a poet to write about them in the way Rosamund Taylor writes about her wife, Milena. A lot of the poems seem autobiographical even as they touch on difficult subjects, but she also writes about history. Her poem, 'The Light Comes In The Name of the Voice', is about Jeanne d'Arc; there's a triptych of poems about Caroline Herschel and astronomy. And 'Portrait of My Anxiety as an Imp' put into words something that I felt in my bones.
I may expand this later once I've given more thought to the poems and re-read it.
It's intense, romantic, clear, and passionate. The world would be a better place if everyone had a poet to write about them in the way Rosamund Taylor writes about her wife, Milena. A lot of the poems seem autobiographical even as they touch on difficult subjects, but she also writes about history. Her poem, 'The Light Comes In The Name of the Voice', is about Jeanne d'Arc; there's a triptych of poems about Caroline Herschel and astronomy. And 'Portrait of My Anxiety as an Imp' put into words something that I felt in my bones.
I may expand this later once I've given more thought to the poems and re-read it.
February 7, 2026
This was a fascinating collection of poems that confused, excited, and saddened me in turns. Whilst there was some I didn't grasp with ease, there were also some that exposed thoughts and feelings that are historically hard to describe.
Which, I think, is in part the purpose of poetry. Otherwise, it was beautiful, often nature-based, prose, with striking imagret and incredible real world connections.
Stand outs for me included: Buddliea, The space you take, We lose our edges, and, Portrait of my anxiety as an imp.
Which, I think, is in part the purpose of poetry. Otherwise, it was beautiful, often nature-based, prose, with striking imagret and incredible real world connections.
Stand outs for me included: Buddliea, The space you take, We lose our edges, and, Portrait of my anxiety as an imp.
Read
November 17, 2025Four pages dog eared. I love these fierce poems. I think “brave” can be a cloying descriptor, so instead I want to say gritty and strong in the face of horror. Beyond horror, they are graceful in allowing beauty and love to flood in and become a nourishment. A book at the intersection of surviving and thriving.
June 3, 2022
Fabulous debut collection from Rosalind Taylor. Her voice is powerful and raw, yet intensely lyrical. Her use of the nature to define is both moving and deftly handled. Look forward to her next collection, this is inspiring.
Want to read
November 21, 2024I have to say The Golden Phoenix and the Blue Jackal
August 23, 2022
I am so proud to call this brilliant person my friend, and to see her beautiful words in print as they deserve to be.
Read
December 26, 2022gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous. one of the best feminist poetry collections i’ve read. been a while since i stumbled upon poetry that encompassed the female experience perfectly and touched my soul.
October 7, 2025
4.5⭐️ Rich and immersive.
September 5, 2022
Fierce, raw, and primal - Taylor's descriptions of the natural world are the highlight of the entire collection.
The pieces that stood out to me, and these I will go back to:
"I Met My Other Self"
"Portrait of My Anxiety as an Imp" - hugely resonated with me
"We Become Witches"
"The Psychopomp and the Last Word"
"Ursa Major"
Worth nothing this is a debut collection and Taylor is someone to watch further. I'm excited to see where she goes next from here.
The pieces that stood out to me, and these I will go back to:
"I Met My Other Self"
"Portrait of My Anxiety as an Imp" - hugely resonated with me
"We Become Witches"
"The Psychopomp and the Last Word"
"Ursa Major"
Worth nothing this is a debut collection and Taylor is someone to watch further. I'm excited to see where she goes next from here.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews