If some days self-belief is a high-school cafeteria and nobody will let you sit with them, if all your wishing wells are into their overdrafts, if you feel like an apology note trying to be an acceptance speech, then this book has been looking everywhere for you.
Jemma Hathaway’s first collection is full of big four-letter things – life, love, loss, pain, time and hope. These poems take us from melanin to mountains, from stars to submarines, from hard times to soft words and set us down somewhere in that healing space between far-off galaxies and close-up magic.
‘Big things happen in small moments, writes Jemma Hathaway, and proceeds to show us just how much life can be found stuffed in the cracks of our existence.
Casting a witty, irreverent eye over the subject of her poems, Jemma chooses a playful touch which enables her to explore serious subjects without ever feeling worthy or preachy. The collection doesn’t shy away from the world’s sharp edges- racial microaggressions, homophobia, grief and mental health are some of the things she touches upon- but remains ultimately and defiantly hopeful.