Romalyn Ante – författare

*Longlisted for the Swansea University Dylan Thomas prize 2021**Shortlisted for the Jhalak Prize 2021: A 'tour-de-force'**An Irish Times and Poetry School Book of the Year 2020*'A day will come when you won't missthe country na nagluwal sa 'yo.'- 'Antiemetic for Homesickness'The poems in Romalyn Ante's luminous debut build a bridge between two worlds: journeying from the country 'na nagluwal sa 'yo' - that gave birth to you - to a new life in the United Kingdom. Steeped in the richness of Filipino folklore, and studded with Tagalog, these poems speak of the ache of assimilation and the complexities of belonging, telling the stories of generations of migrants who find exile through employment - through the voices of the mothers who leave and the children who are left behind. With dazzling formal dexterity and emotional resonance, this expansive debut offers a unique perspective on family, colonialism, homeland and heritage: from the countries we carry with us, to the places we call home.'Moving, witty and agile' Observer'By turns playful and tender, offering a formally-various exploration of migration, community, and nursing... there is honesty, musicality, a powerful heart' Irish Times

'An alchemical wonder of a poet' Fiona Benson, author of Vertigo & Ghost'Vivid, lyrical, and always surprising . . . Both a balm and a call to action' Nathan Filer, author of The Shock of the FallA sparkling new collection from Romalyn Ante, nurse and prizewinning poet, moving between the Philippines and Wolverhampton, myth and the grind of the present-day NHS.'this charms the buried light of stars –this deflects bullets – this unblooms a war – 'In some Filipino clans, parents pass down to each child an AGIMAT, an amulet, in the hope its magic will protect and empower them. At the dawn of the pandemic, the poet – a practising nurse in the NHS – is thrown onto the frontlines of the war against COVID-19.Past conflicts swim into the now. When she falls in love with a man of Japanese heritage, it forces a reckoning with her family’s suffering under Japan’s brutal wartime occupation of the Philippines. Elsewhere, we meet the irrepressible goddess Mebuyan, who, in Philippine myth, nurses the spirits of children in the underworld. Here, she watches over young people in crisis – a girl who can’t stop cutting herself, a teenager who has leapt from a railway viaduct.These are poems of strength and solace; they question what it means to fight, and what it takes to heal.

'A beautiful, hypnotic novel – positively capacious in its depth, its texture, and its heart' CLAIRE LOMBARDO'Captures brilliantly the complexity of a teenage girl's feelings for her absent mother' RACHEL JOYCEA mother forced to leave her family. A daughter forced to reckon with what is left behind.Lipa, Philippines, 2001. Neneng is 11 when her mother, Rosa, leaves to work as a nurse overseas: abandoning Neneng to care for a distant father, unsettled relatives and rebellious siblings. Their home shatters, and Neneng finds herself facing womanhood alone. From that point on, she vows never to become a nurse, and never to trust her mother again.But Neneng is more like the strong-minded Rosa than she realises. As Neneng fights to survive and build a new life, the darknesses in the family’s past come to light, and the reasons why Rosa needed to leave become clearer. When a twist of fate brings a new mother figure into her orbit, Neneng will come to understand why the profession of nursing matters so deeply to Rosa and – when crisis strikes – what ‘care’ means to Neneng.Praise for Romalyn Ante:'Ante is ... unparalleled in her image-making' Fiona Benson'Spellbinding' Observer'Powerful and hopeful ... Filled with heart and beauty' Cecile Pin

The Poetry School and Nine Arches Press are delighted to announce the arrival of Primers Volume Three, the third year of an annual scheme which creates a unique opportunity for talented poets to find publication and receive a programme of supportive feedback, mentoring and promotion. The scheme will select three poets whose work will feature together in Primers Volume Three, a book showcasing short debut collections of work.The Primers scheme provides an important platform for emerging poets who are seeking to develop their writing and build towards a full collection of poems. With the involvement of Jane Commane (Nine Arches’ poetry editor), Hannah Lowe (poet) and the Poetry School, Primers Three will nurture and support new talent that may otherwise not find an outlet. It also aims to provide an important opportunity for poets to develop their skills, work on their poetry practice, and find audiences for their work. Following editing and mentoring with Hannah and Jane, the Primers Volume Three collection will be published by Nine Arches Press, and a further series of live events will showcase the three chosen poets at festivals and shows around the country.