Cover design by Deb Snibson© |
Susan Hawthorne
Birds don't fly with leads, I said. |
Birds don’t fly with leads, says thirteen-year-old Avis when confronted by the limitations imposed on her at school. She has epilepsy and some of the teachers want to stop her participating in the sport she loves most. Susan Hawthorne captures the voice and longings of a child at the edge of self-realisation.
This collection draws on the experience of epilepsy mixed with imagination, mythic consciousness and an intense realisation of life.
‘Hawthorne is never out of control of her chosen forms and language which traces out delightful arabesques and loops.’ —Edward Reilly, Geelong Advertiser
‘Over several years, Susan Hawthorne’s writings have helped to meet an evident need for the public to become better informed about an illness which has given rise over the centuries to excessive fear, prejudice and even superstition. That she has responded to this need through writings that are literary and poetic in character is both surprising and admirable. One expects poetry to educate but not quite in this way. Yet this gifted poet’s work does this for the uninitiated more effectively than any medical tract.’ —Michael Costigan, Chronic Disorder
‘I ... have been glad to read this collection of astutely chosen and varied poems to increase my imagining.’ —Donna McSkimming Lesbiana
Online poetry by Susan Hawthorne:
The Animist - Poems from Bird
Cyberpoetry - Unstopped Mouths
Susan Hawthorne is also the author of
The Falling Woman
and a contributor to CyberFeminism
 |
Territories:World All rights: Spinifex |
 |
 |
 |