In the peace of the post-festive time, why not try my latest two poetry books? They’re short, moving and have incredibly positive reviews:
You can buy SAFE GROUND (Mica, 2025) here. Jennifer Johnson writes of it in London Grip: ‘I highly recommend Safe Ground as it intelligently and powerfully communicates both the pain and joy of a complex life, lived by a cultured woman who has resolved ‘Like Father, like daughter, I would live my life to the full and embrace love.’)
The Lake magazine: ‘This is a superbly crafted piece of work whose language is at times sublime.‘
Billy Mills on his Elliptical Movements said ‘This is an important little book. Read it.’
London Grip magazine: ‘Six-Count Jive is a brave and honest book, one which I hope will not only be enjoyed as poetry, but also give encouragement to women recovering from similar experiences. Rosie Johnston dedicates it to everyone with PTSD, “especially those of us traumatised in our own homes.’
London Grip: ‘I highly recommend Safe Ground as it intelligently and powerfully communicates both the pain and joy of a complex life, lived by a cultured woman who has resolved ‘Like father, like daughter, I would live my life to the full and embrace love.’’
High Window: ‘At the end of the day perhaps the only ‘safe ground’ in an age of trauma is the refuge of being able to write about it. There is tenderness, trauma and wisdom in these pages:
Veiled dreams. That need to please, appease, make good, make safe. Make it out of there. (“Reflection“)’
SIX-COUNT JIVE (Lapwing Publications, 2019), original cover. Dennis Greig and his wife Rene were keen ballroom dancers; Dennis’s design shows how trauma can scatter the brain.
The memoir called Inside Out is by another Rosie Johnston, by the way. Nothing to do with me.
Rosie Johnston 