Othernesses

Hidden in plain sight, there is a great mystery if we look closely. In the form of Shakespearean sonnets, Paul Brookes highlights and celebrates the extraordinary undercurrents of life flowing. If we look further and deeper, we see the Othernesses. In this playful and innovative collection Paul Brookes allows us to meet and celebrate the small and the overlooked, and in the process, consider our relationship with them and each other. "What these poems give us are the things themselves, irreducibly multifarious and often quite alien. Nothing here is romanticised or presented in soft-focus: the poet uses his words in high-definition to show us the world in all its myriad strangeness." Andy MacGregor

Paul Brookes gives the Othernesses their say. Among others, we meet the humble Cockroach, sharing his spoils and leaving no waste, indignant Houseflies, neat and fleeting Earwigs and more, all concerned with the constant battle for survival. A brilliant and uplifting way to consider the human condition.

"This is an excellent collection... the energy and control is superb - and at times delightfully playful and dark." David Morley