My Darling from the Lions

Shortlisted for the Costa Poetry Award

Shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Best First Collection

'This debut collection is the modern poetry we need to read right now' Stylist

'An enchanting and heartwarming new voice in poetry.' Bernardine Evaristo, author of Girl, Woman, Other

'Beautiful. I'm so glad it was written.' Hollie McNish, author of Nobody Told Me

Rachel Long’s much-anticipated debut collection of poems, My Darling from the Lions, announces the arrival of a thrilling new presence in poetry.

Each poem has a vivid story to tell – of family quirks, the perils of dating, the grip of religion or sexual awakening – stories that are, by turn, emotionally insightful, politically conscious, wise, funny and outrageous.

Long reveals herself as a razor-sharp and original voice on the issues of sexual politics and cultural inheritance that polarize our current moment. But it's her refreshing commitment to the power of the individual poem that will leave the reader turning each page in eager anticipation: here is an immediate,wide-awake poetry that entertains royally, without sacrificing a note of its urgency or remarkable skill.

Rachel Long is an enchanting and heartwarming new voice in poetry.

Bernardine Evaristo, Booker Prize-winning author of Girl, Woman, Other

I loved reading these poems. They are immediate, accessible and necessary, but also joyful, witty and elegant. They tell stories we so much need to hear.

Kate Clanchy

A delight. It takes melancholic, surprising turns every couple of pages, with poems centred around combating body shame, sex and faith.

Roger Robinson, The Week