Description
Sallyanne explores the intricacies of living through domestic abuse, and the feelings of complex grief that comes with it. She writes with a delicate touch whilst with a rawness that is both striking and bold, offering a glimmer of hope to those who may need it. Salt & Metal builds between its pages a sense of belonging through an excavation into the the sense of self, from crumpled car bonnets to the gentle purification of saline.
This is Sallyanne Rock’s debut pamphlet. She was awarded Creative Future’s gold prize for poetry in 2019 as judged by writers including Anthony Anaxagorou and Catherine Cho.
This is a preorder, meaning you get first dibs on the release in APRIL 2022.
Words about ‘Salt & Metal’
‘Sallyanne Rock’s collection Salt & Metal is a surgical incision into dark hearted and visceral poetry. The poems are voices from a one sided conversation; an internal scream perhaps or the song left falling through the air when a mouth is slammed shut. These poems are brutal, but vulnerable, with a close attention to texture and craft and a voice that doesn’t shy away from the truth. One that i will return to.’ – Wendy Pratt
‘These are important poems, resonant and vital; not always comfortable to read, but exquisitely crafted, with skilfully controlled imagery and an unerring ear for linguistic precision. Rock uses the alchemical properties of poetry to transform experience to testimony, refusing to be defined by the actions of others, and ultimately finding strength in reclamation of both self and home.’ – Sarah Doyle
‘The first poem’s opening line springs a trap and Rock sets out with keen eye and ear, and impressive formal range, to map the trap’s dimensions. In violence and ugliness, beauty survives, nurtured by a lyrical gift. What results is a lamplight, sometimes painfully bright, exposing the trap’s jagged contours. But more important than this, the light beams out like a flare in the sky, or a firework to celebrate, to say, Screw you, we’re free now, we’re still here.’- Liam Bates
‘These poems show great strength in all their vulnerability. They are unflinching yet cautious, brutal yet tender, beautiful in their sadness. Salt & Metal shines a light on the struggle, pain and complexities of domestic abuse whilst singing of hope, resurrection and ultimately survival. I loved every word.’ – Maria Ferguson