We Play Here
by Dawn Watson
Buy on Amazon? It is an extraordinary long poem spoken by four twelve-year-old girls in working class Belfast. Watson has a remarkable ability to recover both the sensations of childhood and the febrile atmosphere of the Troubles, where terror was normalized and violence endemic. Through their eyes we get a map of their community, of their nigh-adolescent longings, their hopes and oppressions. We loved its filmic vividness and its creation of four compelling, believable, characters.
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"? It is an extraordinary long poem spoken by four twelve-year-old girls in working class Belfast. Watson has a remarkable ability to recover both the sensations of childhood and the febrile atmosphere of the Troubles, where terror was normalized and violence endemic. Through their eyes we get a map of their community, of their nigh-adolescent longings, their hopes and oppressions. We loved its filmic vividness and its creation of four compelling, believable, characters."
Notable Poetry Books of 2024: The Inaugural PEN Heaney Prize Shortlist · fivebooks.com