With thanks to Renard Press for giving me a place on the tour.
Its a poetry collection!
As recounted by the Roman poet Ovid, a young nymph, Salmacis, one day spied Hermaphroditus bathing; consumed with passion, she entered the water and, begging the gods to allow them to stay together, the two became one – part man, part woman. An Eclectic Pagan, for Elizabeth Ovid’s fables are more than fiction, and form a framework for exploring identity. Drawing on the rich mythological history associated with the tale of Salmacis and Hermaphroditus, and re-examining the tale through the lens of metaphor, Salmacis: Becoming Not Quite a Woman is a stirringly relatable and powerful exploration of gender, love and identity. this is my lake salmacis, and I am the wild nymph with a hollow in her belly and nothing between her legs.
Bobs and Books honest review:
I'm not a regular poetry reader, but something drew me into wanting to read this collection. Not since Carol Ann Duffy's The Worlds Wife have I been so absorbed and captivated by a poetry collection.
As I was reading each one I kept thinking, that's a favourite, oh and that one, they were all so clever, witty, raw and just "got" it.
This has such a blend of real life scenarios that are so ridiculously relatable to such moving imagery and vivid descriptions that are just completely breath taking.
Powerful poetry and a collection I know I will return to, and no doubt find something new that will amaze me every single time.
About the author:
Elizabeth Train-Brown is a poet and writer whose work has been published internationally in various anthologies and journals. Their journalism on discrimination, asexuality, transgender issues and polyamory has also received widespread recognition. Outside of writing, Elizabeth follows in her parents’ footsteps as a circus performer and fortune teller. Salmacis is their first collection.
Out now