Phoebe Wagner’s poetry is a kind of undressing. Offering up the social and sexual uncertainties of our time, she forges these into a bolder understanding of contemporary angst. Language heady as Plath melts into a precise, Carson-like wit. Wagner’s voice is a reflexive one, referencing therapists, care plans, bingo tickets, pick-up lines, familial myths: ‘Abuela knew I was the devil when I came out like that. / That all of Spain had bled out of me.’ Formally inventive, highly visual, these poems ripple through the mind, at once cleansing and intoxicating.
“This pamphlet pinches the skin of woman, of lust, of politics.” Deanna Rodger
“An unflinching look at mind and body, and the many betrayals they can endure. As the body is covered by clothes, the mind is clothed in the body. These poems reveal a mind breaking through multiple layers of silencing, stigma and shame.” Dean Atta
“Phoebe Wagner’s poetry is filled with subtlety and wit. She’s able to see the humour in our bodies while holding how precious, delicate and how meaningful they are to us. The relationships are glimpses into intimate moments that reshape the way we see ourselves.” Sean Mahoney
Launching 6th October at SET, Dalston.
Supported by Arts Council England.