Rachel Cleverly has mastered the art of sly transgression. The voice of her debut has a knack of rendering notions you feel perhaps can’t or shouldn’t be said. A deadpan dissection of modern living set against a backdrop of bed bugs, boyfriends, remote job interviews and incisive introspection, Prickle is finely and effortlessly balanced, capable of extracting a laugh or smile through a deft turn in spite of the ever present sense of disquiet and unease; somehow managing to feel both completely anchored in the present moment and timeless in the same turn.
‘This pamphlet has that Sofia Coppola Lost in Translation feeling. You enter a poem smiling and leave in tears or with an inward insight into the threads of life.’
~Nick Makoha:
‘These are fresh, funny, real and wry poems! I’ve found a new poet to love!’
~Rachel Long:
‘Rachel Cleverly’s poetry articulates the lonely thoughts which accompany life in late-stage England. With incisive humour and deadpan titles like ‘Things Which Make My Life Difficult and My Writing Bad’, these are poems that will keep you laughing so hard you forget to cry. Prickle heralds the arrival of a much-needed new voice in poetry, one that resembles a wake-up call in its startling brilliance.’
~Charlotte Shevchenko-Knight:
‘The world of Prickle opens and you are transfixed. If this were a TV show, each poem would be an episode offering new insights into the mind of Rachel Cleverly, whether awkward or thoughtful.’
~Yomi Sode:
