Pearl and Bone

'In this profound study of the maternal journey, Mari Ellis Dunning does not attempt to speak for all mothers, but she can speak up for the many that become "pale and bloodless ghosts". These essential, visceral poems ensure we pay attention to the fear, risk and shame that accompanies the female pregnant body, whilst weaving a picture of the truthful, tender reckonings that are the poet's own.' – Rebecca Goss This book will speak to parents, particularly mothers, and particularly those who became mothers during the covid pandemic. Academics, university lecturers, creative writing teachers, healthcare professionals and anyone interested in women’s studies/history would be a potential buyer. Shortlisted for Wales Book of the Year for her debut collection Salacia, this is the poet’s highly anticipated second collection. Welsh Libraries Author of the Month – November 2022. Pearl and Bone explores the complexities of the first year in the life of a pandemic mother, with the stories of other mothers interwoven amongst the author’s intimate moments, from pregnancy to childbirth and beyond. These poems showcase the lost voices of women through history – in the throes of labour, Mary paces the stable; in a dim Soho studio, Christine Keeler poses for the infamous Lewis Morley photographs; while above us, the moon laments the number of feet that have stormed her surface. -- Publisher: Parthian Books
In so many ways the world is changing for the better. Even in the living memory of an average adult today, there have been numerous societal changes that would point to a world that’s getting fairer, more understanding and accepting for so many minority groups. However, it’s easy to get complacent and fall into the trap of thinking we’re living in progressive times. All it takes is one read of ‘Blessing for the Women’ by Mari Ellis Dunning and the facade of a progressive world is ripped apart in the most beautiful and tragic way. The poem is five imagined snapshots of female lives, irrevocably damaged and changed by the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade in the US. Progress never felt so backwards. ‘Blessing for the Women’ is at the heart of Pearl & Bone, Dunning’s latest poetry collection that comes just a few years after her debut, Salacia, was shortlisted for Wales Book of the Year 2019. Pearl & Bone is Dunning exploring what it means to be a mother, a woman, and motherhood’s impact on bodily autonomy. It is a collection of poems that are at once subtle yet direct, and that manage to dance carefully between and around anger, joy, confusion, and the complexities of loss of autonomy. ‘Blessing for the Women’ is perhaps the most direct look at autonomy, but elsewhere ‘A new mould’ describes the subtle changes of the female body through pregnancy. ‘There was no grinding, no seismic shift as my hip bones shoved outwards’ If it’s not the Supreme Court, then it’s nature and biology itself taking charge. Are women ever in control of their own bodies? In her introduction to the collection, Dunning gives context to the book by talking about becoming a mother during the pandemic. She explains how marginalising it was as a woman and a new mother, and how it raised more questions for her about the role of women and how they are treated. She writes: ‘These issues – of medical bias, gendered violence, misogyny, control over women’s bodies and reproductive rights, the praising of chastity and virginity, and the notion of female bodies as vessels alone – are far too ... vast to explore through poetry alone, but this collection ... is my starting point.’ It may be just a starting point, but Pearl & Bone is full of thoughtful and carefully crafted poems that do address these issues. Dunning’s direct experiences (the lovely ‘Telling your father at Bwlch Nant yr Arian’ and ‘You were a fish’) sit alongside poems about and for iconic and powerful women – Christine Keeler, the collection’s cover star, particularly. ‘Poem for Sarah Everard’ is an especially powerful piece. Poetry, as a medium, sometimes suffers from a reputation as being dated and inaccessible, but this is a tragically contemporary and direct tribute to the young woman killed by an off-duty police officer in March 2021. ‘She cannot know how her name will echo in the mouths of strangers.’ Dunning has a real talent for taking huge issues and using poetry to shine light on them in new and creative ways. The progressive world we deserve, and can sometimes convince ourselves we live in, will only be reached by addressing some difficult home truths. Pearl & Bone is a beautiful and creative step towards that. -- Liam Nolan @ www.gwales.com