Backalong by Nia Broomhall
Winner of the Mslexia Women's Poetry Pamphlet Competition 2023 judged by Imtiaz Dharker.
Backalong, a dialect word from Nia Broomhall's native Somerset, describes any point in the past - it could be this March, last March, or 1979. True to its title, her impressive debut pamphlet observes the distant past and recent past with the same eyes: the distant past through poems of place and origin; the recent through poems that track the process of grieving for someone who was right there, not so long ago. Through its musicality of language, Backalong searches for joy, finding what persists - and finding the words to pick out what shines, despite everything.
Backalong, a dialect word from Nia Broomhall's native Somerset, describes any point in the past - it could be this March, last March, or 1979. True to its title, her impressive debut pamphlet observes the distant past and recent past with the same eyes: the distant past through poems of place and origin; the recent through poems that track the process of grieving for someone who was right there, not so long ago. Through its musicality of language, Backalong searches for joy, finding what persists - and finding the words to pick out what shines, despite everything.
MEMBERS ENJOY 25% OFF ALL POETRY BOOKS
Join the Poetry Book Society for 25% off all books
Join the Poetry Book Society for 25% off all books