Shadow Reader

Imtiaz Dharker grew up a Muslim Calvinist in a Lahori household in Glasgow, was adopted by India and married into Wales. She is an accomplished artist and documentary film-maker, and has published six books with Bloodaxe, Postcards from god (including Purdah) (1997), I Speak for the Devil (2001), The terrorist at my table (2006), Leaving Fingerprints (2009), Over the Moon (2014) and Luck Is the Hook (2018). All her poetry collections are illustrated with her drawings, which form an integral part of the books; she is one of very few poet-artists to work in this way. She was awarded The Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry for 2014, presented to her by The Queen in spring 2015, and has also received a Cholmondeley Award from the Society of Authors and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. Over the Moon was shortlisted for the Ted Hughes Award for New Work in Poetry 2014. Her poems are on the British GCSE and A Level English syllabus, and she reads with other poets at Poetry Live! events all over the country to more than 25,000 students a year. She has had a dozen solo exhibitions of drawings in India, London, Leeds, New York and Hong Kong. She scripts and directs films, many of them for non-government organisations in India, working in the area of shelter, education and health for women and children. In 2015 she appeared on the iconic BBC Radio 4 programme Desert Island Discs. In 2019 she was appointed Chancellor of Newcastle University.

• 11 In the Year of My Death13 Out of the rose garden14 Story15 (But the roses are savages)17 The map of this country is made of scars19 Face to face21 Witness23 The Show24 They brought glass beads26 Boy with a Turban27 Letters home29 Did anyone say what happened to the girl?31 Loom33 The weaver makes a pitch35 (This is not a prayer mat)36 Shadow Reader37 The weaver tells the spell41 Demons Rule43 What goes of your father?44 Fly47 I am Not Alone49 The Shadow Reader Is Measuring50 Saying No51 Pink52 Chori54 Where you belong55 What it grows into56 Back57 Redeem59 (When you hear the wind)60 The welcome62 The key63 Reader64 The piece66 For the Minicab Driver Who Looked as if He Needed Feeding67 For the Woman Who Will Bring Biryani Next Time68 For the Girl on the Elizabeth Line69 For the Woman Who Changed Back to a Snake70 Cross71 So How Does This Work? I ask73 (A door full of light)74 Swiping Left on Larkin76 Let’s Meet in the Place Called Jazz77 In Which I Am Ghosted by William Blake79 I Find Faiz Blowing on His Saucer of Tea81 Away83 There are no words84 Next85 For the girl whose hair escaped87 What it is like88 What you can buy with a bangle89 Naa Ja90 However93 It was the fault of the clothes94 (Only you can tell)95 They arrive96 Fold98 They leave99 As they go100 (Take one step forward)103 They are walking105 Night Walk with Ghosts, Smithfield106 Night Walk with Dancing Bones107 Night Walk by the Canal108 Night Walk with Lit Windows110 Night Walk with Fox111 Night Walk with Blackbird113 Night Walk with Voices115 Cranes lean in116 Seen from a drone, Delhi118 Seen from a drone, Mumbai120 Seen from a drone121 On mute122 One says this, another says that123 X124 (Life chases your feet)125 Sweeping127 Writing the Will129 She Is Trying On the Pre-loved Shoes130 What Bunny-Auntie Says to Bobby-Uncle131 She Has an Off-day132 Bobby Saves Nature to the Cloud133 Auntie Death Says She Slays134 Bubbles Experiences a Moment of Dread135 She Contemplates Her Death136 Donor137 Night Visitors138 The Host141 The Guest143 With empty hands144 You write a window145 Go to the child147 (This is the embrace)148 You are150 We are holding151 But the radiance153 (We turn our faces up)154 Your Session Has Been Terminated155 Everywhere the angels156 I Walk in the Shadow 158 Acknowledgements

Imtiaz Dharker’s poetry shines a light in the dark. She is interested in how things work, in art, in history, in politics… You cannot hear her perform without being somehow transformed by the experience. Witty, wise, profound and moving, her work crosses continents.