Description
Anastasia, Look in the Mirror explores acts of looking out of and in to oneself. The heroine of an erotic novel stares at her own reflection and doesn’t recognise herself. Scottish painters look for inspiration in fin-de-siècle Paris, and a girl in 17th-century America goes looking for trouble and inadvertently kicks off the Salem Witch Trials.
It begins with looking in the mirror.
In these lyrical and witty poems, Carly Brown deftly mixes personal histories, introspection and political truths, bringing new, surprising and necessary images into sharp focus.
Carly Brown is a writer and academic originally from Austin, Texas and now living in Edinburgh, Scotland. She is the author of a bestselling children’s picture book, I Love St Andrews, and a debut poetry pamphlet, Grown Up Poetry Needs to Leave Me Alone. Known for her lively and witty spoken word poetry, Carly has performed at Glastonbury Festival, StAnza Poetry Festival and the Edinburgh Fringe. She holds an MLitt with Distinction and a Doctorate of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the University of Glasgow, and she is currently working on a historical fiction novel.
@theforthbelle | www.carlyjbrown.com
This collection is full of colour: pale pinks, bright yellows, sea blues. As I was compiling these poems, I kept thinking of the idiom ‘to show your true colours,’ meaning to reveal oneself. The phrase comes from the time period I study – the Eighteenth Century – when a ship would fly a false flag in order to trick other ships into trusting them. Then, at the last minute, they’d hoist their ‘true colours’ and attack. Pirates might do this, for example. I liked that this phrase has stuck around and I liked that it linguistically links colour with identity, with the act of revealing. Although various personas and character voices are adopted in this collection, I like to think they are each ‘true’ to their own colours.
Praise for Carly Brown
Brian Donaldson, The Scotsman: Wit, warmth and wisdom aplenty […] The future health of spoken word seems safe in their hands.
Haley Jenkins, Selcouth Station: With each poem there is a refreshing comedic integrity but also a brilliant truth that both enlightens and terrifies.
Stephen Watt, Mumble Words: A stunning set, garnished in unorthodox, theatrical and comedic ingenuity graced each poem that Carly chose to perform […] It became clear how Carly became the Scottish Slam Champion in 2013, demonstrating an astute attention to detail and a bright approach to subject matter […] This is a poet whose smile is as wide as her talent, and one that promises a fantastic future ahead of her.
Maria Sledmere, US Studies Online: Her poems delivered sass and wit, while using lush imagery and spirited accents to render themes of identity, politics and belonging […] Brown’s performance gave a sense of reaching across discourses, time, and space to invite empathy, understanding, and productive cultural exchange.
