AustLit

'It has to be said, I’ve never reviewed a poetry collection before. So I’m doing this as I see fit and not according to how a review is meant to be done. I don’t offer myself up as an expert, but as a reader who has been unimaginably moved by this work. Every poem took my breath away. If I could cite every poem from this collection in this ‘review’, I would.' (Introduction)

'love is not to tiptoe around the crust of your soul, rather
it is to descend into the fire of your molten core without a harness,
asbestos suit, or dry ice; it is to suffer third-degree burns;
it is to gasp for breath; it is to watch canaries die.

'Political, profound, profane. These poems of defiant disobedience crash through the barriers erected to keep us contained. Writing with humour and tenderness, Ali Whitelock takes us through the parched landscape of life, death, love, fear, regret and the unbearable sadness of losing a dog.

'And particularly topical in the aftermath of the destructive Australia-wide fires, the powerful 'this is coal don't be afraid' is a found poem made up of statements by Prime Minister Scott Morrison, the Rural Fire Service, as well as relevant tweets and quotes, collated to create an extraordinary piece to make us shiver.

'this is coal don't be scared don't be afraid seek shelter from the heat of the fire. but look, the girls and jen, they love holidaying in hawaii and so we've had a few nice days here. drink water to prevent dehydration evacuate your horse to the beach have your children row for their lives. australians will be inspired by the great feats of our cricketers this is not about climate change'  (Publication summary)

'Raw and beautiful and completely devoid of pretension, Ali Whitelock’s poems will speak to anyone who’s ever messed up, been confused, wished they’d done things differently; to anyone who’s had an affair and regretted it, who’s been loved completely but was too blind to see it.' (Publication summary)

'Alison Whitelock dreamed of shooting her father with a sawn-off shotgun. Her brother planned to use the longest knife in the cutlery drawer, and her mother tried to poison him with out-of-date tranquillisers. This wee book is a bittersweet account of growing up in Scotland in the strange and brutal kingdom we call home. But Poking Seaweed with a Stick is anything but a tale of childhood suffering; it is an enchanted Scottish tale that will have you smiling through your tears and laughing till you cry.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.