Felt

New poems by a rising star of New Zealand poetry

Couples in last-chance therapy, friends unfriending, racist trolls trawling the comments section for game — this collection of poems is concerned with the things that make us feel. The felt realm is very much in nature, too. From the calm of a sleeping doe to the slow unwinding of the last bee on Earth, Johanna Emeney seems to say that there is a message in the air — for those who listen with all of the senses.

This outstanding suite of 43 loosely connected poems is by turns powerful, warm, loving and shocking.

‘Felt gets you thinking about poetry, how the poet canvases multiple experiences whether lived, imagined or felt, and finds the form and voice that suits each poem and herself. . . . Think of the book as a glorious arm-wide regeneration, the poems both stretching and contemplative.’ — Paula Green, Kete

‘One of this collection’s strengths is its ability to give Emeney’s stories room to breathe. The poet and publisher seem to understand where the real heft of the collection lies and how best to accentuate it with a structure the feels not so much like an arc but a parabola, scattering careful, effective bursts of tragedy throughout. Felt is a collection that has left a mark on me and hopefully on the NZ poetry landscape.’ — Jordan Hamel, Landfall Review Online

To look inside, click here.