The Instinct Against Death

'Emer Gillespie is a writer for whom 'the magical' and 'the real' can be effortlessly, exquisitely blended, resulting in rich, psychologically complex, nuanced poetry. In the stunning opening sequence, using direct, energetic language, Gillespie re-imagines the story of Demeter's search for her lost daughter, Persephone, both as a Classical myth and as an agonised contemporary tale of loss, learning and redemption. Demeter's pain is palpable, visceral, eternal. Throughout this collection, Gillespie examines, with unflinching clarity and a restless quest for personal honesty, motherhood, love and friendship, with all their complexities, contradictions, unspoken betrayals. Emer Gillespie is a courageous poet who deals in blood and sunlight, grief and birdsong.' Catherine Smith, poet