Anima/l – Fiona Owen
ISBN: 9781788641630
£9.99
published in September — pre-order now
Gwnewch y pethau bychain — Do the little things (Dewi Sant/St David) — is how Fiona Owen signs off her communications. And she is a poet who understands that the little things are actually the things to which we should be paying our deepest attention — the small interactions between people, the word that matters, the objects that hold more than memory and, vitally, the land we live on, the air we breathe, the anima/ls and plants we live amongst and with, who teach us not to ‘other’ them for the sake of our humanity as much as for their sake and their survival. This is a collection that pulses with anima, the unconscious that moves through all life, bubbling up in these exquisitely realised, attentive poems.
Praise for Anima/l
Fiona Owen is a poet in whom a sharp and original eye for detail is matched by a broad and profound sense of humanity, and the natural world of which we are a part. These are poems full of touching places between the two. This is exemplified by the brilliant sequence that gives the collection its name, inspired by the photographs of Flóra Borsi, unlocking the very meaning of what it is – or should be – to be human. You will find these words coming back to haunt you when you least expect it, like a long-known song.’
Seán Street
Owen’s poetry certainly contains multitudes and shines a surprising light on what it means to be sentient – these poems are ablaze with vitality. Her language is as precise as it is luminous, and her writing radiates both aspiration and affirmation. This is a marvellous collection, expansive and intimate, creating unforgettable tunes which are always perfect-pitch, singing from the heart.
Menna Elfyn
How close up to the world can our words get? Fiona Owen’s lines about the dark juice of the blackberry running along her lifeline says everything, really.
Paul Matthews
Author biography
Fiona Owen lives on the island of Anglesey/Ynys Môn in North Wales, UK with her husband, Gorwel, and two collies, Mabon & Beca. She writes poetry and short fiction, primarily, has a shared daily haiku habit and makes music with Gorwel, with currently three CD albums to their name. Her fifth collection of poems, Anima/l, is published by Cinnamon Press (September 2024). For twenty-four years, she taught arts/humanities for the Open University, which included creative writing and literature. She holds an MA in Writing and runs quarterly Eye of the Storm ‘writing at depth’ sessions on Zoom. During the 1980s and early 1990s, Fiona was singer/songwriter with the Welsh-language electro-pop group Eirin Peryglus and worked with Gorwel as part of the art-music project Plant Bach Ofnus. You can find Fiona’s website here