if she was my god is the new pamphlet by Orkney poet Lydia Harris, exploring the memory, history, ecology and archaeology of White Moss, the last remaining peat bog on the island of Westray.
190mm x 150mm.
Section sewn.
Arena papers with G.F. Smith endpapers in Matcha.
Illustrations by Sanni Pyhänniska
Praise for if she was my god:
“In this hymnal from Lydia Harris, the past is not dead matter. What White Moss - the last remaining peat bog on Westray - has buried and birthed is brought devotedly to light. Harris articulates the commonality and deity of this landscape in lines that accrue, layer, and connect as deeply as the slow-drama of the bog herself. Elemental, absorbing, yielding, and resilient, if she was my god sings and shines.”
- Heidi Williamson, author of Return by Minor Road
“As Orwell might’ve gone on to say, some poets are unique, but some are more unique than others: in her previous books, Lydia Harris has proved herself to be a very fine, spiritual poet, fully engaged with the nature, history, archaeology, and femininity of her adopted home of Orkney. In if she was my god, Harris delves deep ‘into moss mind’ to explore ‘the hidden moss of moss / the slow work of it.’
“This is true eco-poetry without proclaiming itself so: out in the mossy landscape, feeling its phenomenal power, and how it ‘contains storms and seasons.’ Harris’s language, diction, and forms are compelling and exquisite throughout. This is supranatural poetry of the highest order.”
- Matthew Paul, author of The Last Corinthians
About the author:
Lydia Harris has made her home in the Orkney island of Westray. In 2017 she held a Scottish Book Trust New Writers’ Award. Her second full length collection Henrietta’s Library of the Whole Wide World was published by Blue Diode Press in 2024. Westray Writers meet in her home. The Westray Poetry Library is in her porch.
if she was my god is the new pamphlet by Orkney poet Lydia Harris, exploring the memory, history, ecology and archaeology of White Moss, the last remaining peat bog on the island of Westray.
190mm x 150mm.
Section sewn.
Arena papers with G.F. Smith endpapers in Matcha.
Illustrations by Sanni Pyhänniska
Praise for if she was my god:
“In this hymnal from Lydia Harris, the past is not dead matter. What White Moss - the last remaining peat bog on Westray - has buried and birthed is brought devotedly to light. Harris articulates the commonality and deity of this landscape in lines that accrue, layer, and connect as deeply as the slow-drama of the bog herself. Elemental, absorbing, yielding, and resilient, if she was my god sings and shines.”
- Heidi Williamson, author of Return by Minor Road
“As Orwell might’ve gone on to say, some poets are unique, but some are more unique than others: in her previous books, Lydia Harris has proved herself to be a very fine, spiritual poet, fully engaged with the nature, history, archaeology, and femininity of her adopted home of Orkney. In if she was my god, Harris delves deep ‘into moss mind’ to explore ‘the hidden moss of moss / the slow work of it.’
“This is true eco-poetry without proclaiming itself so: out in the mossy landscape, feeling its phenomenal power, and how it ‘contains storms and seasons.’ Harris’s language, diction, and forms are compelling and exquisite throughout. This is supranatural poetry of the highest order.”
- Matthew Paul, author of The Last Corinthians
About the author:
Lydia Harris has made her home in the Orkney island of Westray. In 2017 she held a Scottish Book Trust New Writers’ Award. Her second full length collection Henrietta’s Library of the Whole Wide World was published by Blue Diode Press in 2024. Westray Writers meet in her home. The Westray Poetry Library is in her porch.
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