Shortlisted for the Jerwood Aldeburgh First Collection Prize.
From London’s hospital wards to rural Italy and the Great Plains, Sally Read’s first collection eulogises the emotional and physical borders we cross, whether in sexual surrender, the squeezing of a trigger, or the point at which skin is pierced by a needle. What results appeals to the thresholds at which we succumb to desire, love, or grief. Yet, ultimately, there is tenderness and acceptance as she considers what breaks us, and what binds.
‘Sally Read’s first collection is a marvellous book, bringing together poignant and lyrical meditations on love, mortality, art, healing and the Italian landscape in poems of fine judgement and a true poet’s skill. The Point of Splitting marks the debut of an accomplished writer, not only one to watch, but one to read now, for her wit, craft, and clear vision’ – John Burnside.
‘Direct, searing, and very, very truthful’ – Bonnie Greer.
'Read defines herself by her risks…There is real pleasure in the disparity between her light lyric touch and the menacing and/or visceral description she frequently employs' - Kathryn Gray, Magma
Sally Read reads five poems
Sally Read reads five poems from her collections The Point of Splitting (2005) and Broken Sleep (2009): ‘Instruction’, ‘The Reflex’, ‘The Soldier’s Girl’, ‘Mafia Flowers’ and ‘Peony’. Neil Astley filmed her when she was visiting friends in London from Italy in March 2010.
