Description
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.
The imagery swings between the expansive and the everyday, where melanin holds light like Galileo’s telescope holds the moon and Queer lives are singing kettles. Throughout, Jemma reminds the reader that love in all its various, ridiculous, wonderful forms exists in the most mundane of places. And even if you don’t start off believing her, by the time you reach the end of the book, you’ll be an optimist too.’ Kat Lyons
‘Jemma Hathaway is a beacon of light guiding you back home to yourself. Her collection is unapologetically itself and encourages you to be the same. Metaphors and similes soar, seeking to be deciphered into insightful notes of acceptance, reminding you you’re alive, and deservedly so. A vivid, compelling and compassionate collection. Every woman should get to read the Mona Lisa poem.’ Jemima Hughes
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jemma Hathaway was born on a Friday, because even then she couldn’t wait for the weekend. Her poems have been featured on BBC Radio Bristol, BBC iPlayer and @bbc on Instagram. Jemma is a multiple slam-winner and was the 2020 Hammer & Tongue slam champion for Bristol. She is a Button Poetry Short Form contest winner, has appeared on Sky Arts Life & Rhymes and has supported Joelle Taylor, Jasmine Gardosi and Roger McGough. She has performed at some amazing venues, including: WOMAD festival, the Royal Albert Hall and her mum’s kitchen. She self-published her first poetry pamphlet, January in 2021. I’ve been looking everywhere for you is her first full collection.
