‘The October sun breeds cataracts, the breeze freezes my bones. / My neck is wool-deep in check; it’s hard to text with mittens on.’
Destroyed Dresses showcases the finest 17 poems created by the young writer to date; ordered chronologically to aid the sense of a poet 'coming of age', in life and in literature. As suggested by the iconic cover design (conceived by the author), the poems have both vintage charm and contemporary edge; as well as their own peculiar drama. They provide ample evidence of the unique attitude and skill which has won Cara national acclaim.
"In their dealings with things left unsaid, Cara Brennan’s poems can be eerily atmospheric and unsettling, as though written from a world next door to the everyday. Destroyed Dresses is an intriguing and promising start."
Sean O'Brien, two-times Forward Prize winning poet
"Cara Brennan's first pamphlet moves with a passionate but precise gaze between memory and presence. Always alert to tiny details, both physical and emotional, she fixes on those imperfections that evoke perfectly her chilly landscapes and tender interiors. The image of the dress recurs - designed, worn, shed, recycled - a metaphor for her precise craft as well as a symbol of the heart's journey through these nimble and compelling poems."
W.N. Herbert, two-times T.S. Eliot Prize shortlisted poet
"Poised and clear-spoken, these poems capture the fleeting moment. Brennan details human warmth, ever alive to the wider world's chill. Her imagery shimmers, her tone is urgent."
Christy Ducker, author of multi-prize-winning pamphlet Armour
Cara Brennan was born in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, in 1990, and currently lives in Newcastle, where she is completing an MA in Creative Writing. She has worked for Flambard Press and Mslexia, and more recently at Newcastle’s Lit & Phil library. She is a graduate of the Writing Squad. Her poetry has been published in Stanza Stones: The Anthology, and by Ink Sweat and Tears, Dead Ink, The Cadaverine, Pomegranate, Myths of the Near Future, NAWE and The Beat.