‘Sometimes in a writer’s life an image arrives, unasked, and inhabits us, breeding connections through every compartment of our minds. This new collection by Ness Owen feels like one of those, with childhood memory, family, the politics of language, sense of place and an urgent environmental concern beyond human boundaries interwoven and embodied by the sight of that most liminal thing, a stranded jellyfish. It seems the slightest of lives, adrift, less flesh than water. And yet, like these poems, it can sting.’ – Philip GrossWritten as a midlife mother, teacher, feminist, socialist and protestor, this accessible book of lyric poetry has wide appeal and covers a range of contemporary themes including the environment, changing political tides, language and womanhood.