Rachelle Foster's debut poetry pamphlet - 

Taming grief is a lot like tending to orchids. Orchids are finicky things, but with the right light, water, soil and fertilisation offerings, their blooms are undeniably beautiful. Grief is also fussy; it cannot be ignored, for if it is, it will swell and sit on top of you, pinning you to the ground. It needs tenderness and care; only then can you start to feel the love it spawned from.

This collection is a view into the experience of losing a mother in your twenties while simultaneously losing your sanity. What happens when grief and psychosis intermingle? These poems are the answer to that question as Rachelle maps out the journey of losing her pillar parent while reality melts around her.

"As ever, I'm so moved and surprised by your work. It's exciting reading about what, because of my interest in mental health, can be a well-worn topic. Each poem is a new and delightful, albeit wrenching at times, way of seeing, which is why I use the word surprised."

Jennifer Brough 

(Birmingham's 2006-2007 Young Poet Laureate and founder of Resting Up Collective)