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by Julie Leoni (Author)
"Inventive, vibrant and tender, Leoni's lyricism leaps off the page - a debut collection not to be missed."
- Dr Shanta Everington (Author and Creative Writing Researcher)
"Julie Leoni looks with deep affection and a clear hard gaze to consider how twentieth century farming practices, human negligence and the pressures of climate change have altered forever the landscapes she knows best. At once playful, accessible and deadly serious, these compassionate poems sing of love for the land, and fierce respect for all flora and fauna."
- Clare Best (Poet, memoirist, collaborative artist)
"'The wild claims me, ' writes Julie Leoni in 'Soar'. Farmotherlands is a wonderful first collection, highlighting the poet's engagement with nature, memory, and humanity's complex relationship with the land. At once autobiographically rooted in place, and acutely aware of the ecological crisis wrought by modernity, these poems challenge the reader as much as they celebrate rural life. Leoni evokes farmstead and family details in lyrical, sensuous language, but is equally willing to address the visceral realities of such a world. Personal history and fleeting encounters with mystery are placed alongside work that relishes the innovative and experimental, and a variety of forms provide the collection with a rich texture, as does Leoni's use of etymology and informed poetic play. You won't regret - or forget - reading this book."
- Sarah Law (Editor of the Amethyst Review, poet)
