In two short months in 2005, Ellen Phetean's life was brought to a halt. In April she lost her close friend and long-time collaborator Julia Darling to breast cancer; then in June, her husband, composer Keith Morris, and close friend Joe Scurfield were killed in a hit-and-run accident. In despair and turmoil, all she could do was write: to make sense of the past and come to terms with the present.

 

These poems chart the course of the last few years, reflecting on childhood, family life, the cultural landscape of Newcastle upon Tyne and how they all seem to lead to these events. There is sadness and anger here, but also humour and candid observation. Journeys and water crossings are recurrent themes in this poetry which explores love, loss and the life that insists we carry on.

 

Breath was shortlisted for the London New Poetry Award in 2010.

 

View sample poem.

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