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Raised Among Vultures
Raised Among Vultures is Molly Twomey's debut poetry collection.
Look, if we are going to do this,
know that I was raised among vultures.
— ‘Don’t pick me tulips’
Such bold injunctions announce a formidable new talent. In Molly Twomey’s spectacular, and frequently disturbing, debut seemingly nonchalant expressions of hard experience (‘Over coffee I tell you I slept with some guy’) meld with vivid imaginings. Excited hearts are ‘bumper cars’, a Coke is ‘a huge cup of starless sky’ and a radish is ‘a red grenade’. In this world of Tumblr, online group therapy, NA and Touch ID, Molly Twomey’s unflinching art chronicles a history of eating disorders and inner conflicts. These are frontline reports from the outposts of youth, ‘nights / spent drunk with boys we could barely remember, / would never forget.’
But Raised Among Vultures, while venturing that ‘It’s impossible to live without breaking someone’, is also a book about longing and lessons — ‘It took so long to learn that I won’t die / if I sleep in.’ In her first collection Molly Twomey breathes new life into Irish poetry.
'. . . a poet for a new Ireland, for a new post-Covid world' — Thomas McCarthy
Look, if we are going to do this,
know that I was raised among vultures.
— ‘Don’t pick me tulips’
Such bold injunctions announce a formidable new talent. In Molly Twomey’s spectacular, and frequently disturbing, debut seemingly nonchalant expressions of hard experience (‘Over coffee I tell you I slept with some guy’) meld with vivid imaginings. Excited hearts are ‘bumper cars’, a Coke is ‘a huge cup of starless sky’ and a radish is ‘a red grenade’. In this world of Tumblr, online group therapy, NA and Touch ID, Molly Twomey’s unflinching art chronicles a history of eating disorders and inner conflicts. These are frontline reports from the outposts of youth, ‘nights / spent drunk with boys we could barely remember, / would never forget.’
But Raised Among Vultures, while venturing that ‘It’s impossible to live without breaking someone’, is also a book about longing and lessons — ‘It took so long to learn that I won’t die / if I sleep in.’ In her first collection Molly Twomey breathes new life into Irish poetry.
'. . . a poet for a new Ireland, for a new post-Covid world' — Thomas McCarthy
- GenresPoetry
75 pages, Paperback
Published May 12, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 6, 2023
Molly Twomey's talent is undeniable, as made evident by the countless awards she has accumulated in her relatively short career thus far, but her debut collection surpasses even the highest of expectations one might have for a writer who is just setting out on her career.
Raised Among Vultures is equal parts jarring and inspiring. She writes with a clarity that many poets spend decades trying to hone, and her topics, while sometimes difficult to engage with, are almost universally relatable. Some of my favourites include "Attendance Award", "Acorns", "Twenty One Questions" and "Kinsale".
It's no wonder the collection has won the Southword Prize, as well as being shortlisted for the the Farmgate Poetry Prize and the prestigious Seamus Heaney Prize. I can't wait to read her future work. Twomey truly is a poet of great promise.
Raised Among Vultures is equal parts jarring and inspiring. She writes with a clarity that many poets spend decades trying to hone, and her topics, while sometimes difficult to engage with, are almost universally relatable. Some of my favourites include "Attendance Award", "Acorns", "Twenty One Questions" and "Kinsale".
It's no wonder the collection has won the Southword Prize, as well as being shortlisted for the the Farmgate Poetry Prize and the prestigious Seamus Heaney Prize. I can't wait to read her future work. Twomey truly is a poet of great promise.
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March 14, 2023Sort of like spying through a keyhole into a world of disorder and decay
June 6, 2023
I'm not sure how autobiographical this collection is. It is a mistake to always assume that the writers words are the story of their life, especially if that life has been difficult. But if it isn't autobiographical Molly Twomey has done a fantastic job of creating someone else's life with all its darkness and shadows.
This is an excellent collection. The poetry doesn't indulge too much in intellectual fripperies. It's clean and sharp. The subject of most of the poems is body image, sickness, eating disorders, family, and love. Some of it is dark and painful. You feel for the person speaking and want to reach out and help them. To tell them it'll be alright. But they wouldn't believe you. We're often told to be kind to other people whilst we are incredibly unkind to ourselves. Feeling that we don't deserve happiness or love. This is a collection of poems speaks to all of that.
The blurb of the back of the book makes great claims for this book, which might be a tad over the top. Young person writes poetry about being young isn't really quite the awesome moment that The Gallery Press might claim. But this collection is pretty damn good. It might not be what you want to read when you're feeling particularly low. Then again it might speak to you. It might put into words the thoughts you struggle to put into words yourself.
This is an excellent collection. The poetry doesn't indulge too much in intellectual fripperies. It's clean and sharp. The subject of most of the poems is body image, sickness, eating disorders, family, and love. Some of it is dark and painful. You feel for the person speaking and want to reach out and help them. To tell them it'll be alright. But they wouldn't believe you. We're often told to be kind to other people whilst we are incredibly unkind to ourselves. Feeling that we don't deserve happiness or love. This is a collection of poems speaks to all of that.
The blurb of the back of the book makes great claims for this book, which might be a tad over the top. Young person writes poetry about being young isn't really quite the awesome moment that The Gallery Press might claim. But this collection is pretty damn good. It might not be what you want to read when you're feeling particularly low. Then again it might speak to you. It might put into words the thoughts you struggle to put into words yourself.
August 26, 2025
Reizēm sūdzos, ka dzeja angliski uz mani nestrādā, ka tā neskan. Un te nu beidzot ir izņēmums. Jaudīgs, personisks dzejas krājums, kuram cauri vijas autores nonākšana ēšanas traucējumu varā, ilgstošā cīņa un pakāpeniski nojaušamā izraušanās no šīm važām. Un tomēr jaunā realitāte ir aizkustinoši trausla, tie ir mēģinājumi neskaitīt soļus, neskaitīt gramus, gribēt un atļauties apēst īstu pankūku, nevis rupjmaizes grauzdiņu, mēģinājumi nedzirdēt balsi, kas ir skaļāka par citām.
January 8, 2024
Raised Among Vultures is a beautifully crafted collection. Twomey’s words have left imprints on the back of my mind that I know will resurface for many months to come. I will most definitely be returning to her wonderful writing in the future.
October 20, 2023
Electric tenderness.
April 30, 2024
5.0/5
Vicious and beautiful. What an undeniable talent.
Vicious and beautiful. What an undeniable talent.
September 2, 2024
So moving and inspiring! Twomey has a way of describing the world that is strange, sore, and exact. I can't wait to read this again!
June 29, 2022
A wonderful collection of poetry! My favorites include The Secret Zips, Baggage And All The Things I Want To Do. This was a great collection of poetry Im already a big fan of this poet!
July 4, 2025
I have not seen enough people talking about how amazing this book is.
I cannot wait to see what Twomey writes next
I cannot wait to see what Twomey writes next
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews