Phobia
Phobia
Jo Brandon
Paperback
‘When you’ve worked your way past the middle, this change will be over.’
Phobia was the first solo publication from Jo Brandon, who poured years of study, contemplation and poetic endeavour into her pamphlet-length debut.
The poems are skilful examinations of fear and hope, vulnerability and strength, nature and industry; and particularly what it means to be a female in the 21st century, with ancestors peering over your shoulder and contemporaries urging you forward. Experimenting with form and language throughout, whilst never compromising on emotional impact and intrigue, this is a book to delight on first reading, and return to year after year.
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Imprint: Valley Press
Published: January 2012
ISBN: 9781908853028
Catalogue no: VP0023
Page count: 40
Trim size: 198 x 129 mm
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Praise for Phobia:
“I like Jo’s sharp observational eye ... whole worlds and lives are conjured in the spare but overflowing stories of poems like 'These Bones' and 'Kathy, GSOH, likes long walks'. These poems of vulnerability are brave, bright and true, and mark Brandon as a poet to watch.”
— Kate Fox
“Brandon shape-shifts between subject and observer, illuminating and enlightening. These are crafted, intelligent, challenging poems, revelling in an imagistic sensuality, a passion for detail and narrative discovery.”
— Rommi Smith
“Brandon has the gift of making one stop and think ... light-hearted and sparse with her language, but also eloquent and serious, with a quiet beauty to her words. A thought-provoking collection.”
— Ciara Hegarty
About the author
Jo Brandon was born in Essex in 1986 and is now based in West Yorkshire. Her working life has been varied, including roles as a domestic for the Royal Household, a tour guide, Creative Writing Coordinator for the Koestler Trust and an administrator for the Poetry Society and Poetry School.
Jo graduated with a degree in Creative Writing from Bretton Hall, University of Leeds in 2007. She now works as a freelance poetry editor, librettist and literary events host. In 2018 she was Bradford Literature Festival’s first Digital Poet in Residence.
Jo’s debut pamphlet of poetry, Phobia, was published by Valley Press in 2012. Her first full-length collection, The Learned Goose, followed in 2015, and a second, Cures, in 2021.