This stuff is raw and It’s real. The author draws from her experiences working as a volunteer on LA’s Skid Row and navigating her grief for her father’s passing. There’s a tangible fury aimed at injustice and oppression, specific targets include The Hilsborough inquest, the Fukushima nuclear meltdown. Fannen wields her vernacular here like a scalpel, cutting through layers of tragedy down to the bones of the truth.
And whilst these pieces rage with the type of furious energy that attracts my interest, it’s the sense of kindness and honesty in her work that stayed with me. Brave and unflinching observations on working class realities, on trying to squeak by on what little we have, on how the game is rigged against the likes of us. The strength of Fannen’s poetry lies in it’s authenticity and considered lack of pretence. There’s no faff or conjecture. These are words that have been experienced, that have left scars and from that pain comes wisdom and a generosity of spirit that can’t be faked.
This collection is absolutely brilliant and I really hope to hear more from Lisa Fannen in the future..
Written from Harry Bines