Overview

Poems informed by and immersed in politics. Everything has significance beyond the surface. Beautiful, hair-raising words and form. Emma Lee's The Significance of a Dress moves from Refugee camps in northern Iraq via beaches in Greece and Northern France to dark streets in London and elsewhere, and asks questions about where to find hope, and how to overcome adversity. 'A wedding is a party, a welcome, a sign of hope. The dresses sparkle with sun-reflected diamanté but the gravel paths of the camp leave the hems stained.'

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9781909208834

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Reviews

Nothing is unimportant in The Significance of A Dress, where next year is not the future but a question. Each refugee, suffragette or shushed voice and narrative encompassed by the poems is personal and individual, yet simultaneously universal in its reach and significance. In 'Dismantling The Jungle', flames form an echo of a former life . This vivid collection is full of such flames and echoes. Whether it's Each dress hangs from a noose ('Bridal Dresses in Beirut') or Everything Abdel sees is smeared, despite his glasses (Stories from The Jungle), Emma Lee's focus is precise, poised and packs emotional punch. Her evocative imagery is reinforced by taut lines, striking juxtapositions and intimate, moving details. The Significance of A Dress is a beautiful, powerful and haunting collection. S A Leavesey From the title page of The Significance of a Dress, Emma Lee cleverly fashions a feminist metaphor for #MeToo into uncompromising forms. These include the terrible symbol of bridal dresses hung from nooses in Beirut, signifying rapists absolved of their crimes through marrying their victims, a figure walking home in the UK uncertain whether she is safe from rape after a recent attack in the area, and further victims of rape and domestic abuse. The reader is never let go, with head dunked into the murky waters of domestic life until forced to accept Lee's compelling argument of a grossly unequal world. The poet does this with immense skill in versification, giving her audience no option but to pay attention. This is daring, well-imagined poetry with global scope, giving voice to women from myriad backgrounds and cultures. It goes far beyond the boundaries of #MeToo, arguing the world has become one of disturbing realm of sexual inequality, in an atmosphere of constant threat. Lee's collection addresses unfairness, advocating for those who have been denied the ability to speak for themselves. Dr James Fountain

Nothing is unimportant in The Significance of A Dress, where next year is not the future but a question. Each refugee, suffragette or shushed voice and narrative encompassed by the poems is personal and individual, yet simultaneously universal in its reach and significance. In 'Dismantling The Jungle', flames form ""an echo of a former life"". This vivid collection is full of such flames and echoes. Whether it's ""Each dress hangs from a noose"" ('Bridal Dresses in Beirut') or ""Everything Abdel sees is smeared, despite his glasses"" (Stories from The Jungle), Emma Lee's focus is precise, poised and packs emotional punch. Her evocative imagery is reinforced by taut lines, striking juxtapositions and intimate, moving details. The Significance of A Dress is a beautiful, powerful and haunting collection. S A Leavesey From the title page of The Significance of a Dress, Emma Lee cleverly fashions a feminist metaphor for #MeToo into uncompromising forms. These include the terrible symbol of bridal dresses hung from nooses in Beirut, signifying rapists absolved of their crimes through marrying their victims, a figure walking home in the UK uncertain whether she is safe from rape after a recent attack in the area, and further victims of rape and domestic abuse. The reader is never let go, with head dunked into the murky waters of domestic life until forced to accept Lee's compelling argument of a grossly unequal world. The poet does this with immense skill in versification, giving her audience no option but to pay attention. This is daring, well-imagined poetry with global scope, giving voice to women from myriad backgrounds and cultures. It goes far beyond the boundaries of #MeToo, arguing the world has become one of disturbing realm of sexual inequality, in an atmosphere of constant threat. Lee's collection addresses unfairness, advocating for those who have been denied the ability to speak for themselves. Dr James Fountain

Author Information

Emma Lee was born in South Gloucestershire and now lives in Leicestershire. Her poems, short stories and articles have appeared in many anthologies and magazines in the UK and Canada, Hong Kong, Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey and USA,. Emma has performed her work at The Poetry Cafe in London, all three Leicestershire universities, at LCFC, the Jam Factory in Oxford, Hatherley Manor in Cheltenham, amongst other venues. She's also read poems for BBC Radio and EAVA FM and joined panels organised by the University of Leicester's Sociology, Communications and Media department to talk about artistic responses to the refugee crisis arising from her co-editing of ""Over Land, Over Sea: poems for those seeking refuge"" and curation of Journeys in Translation. Emma Lee's poems have been translated into Chinese, Farsi, German, Greek, Italian, Polish, Portuguese and Romanian. Currently she is on the committee of Leicester Writers' Club and the steering group for the Leicester Writers' Showcase and has experience in organising poetry readings and live literature events. She has given workshops for Leicester Writers' Club, Leicester Poetry Society and the Local Writers' Fair. Emma Lee also reviews for five poetry magazines and blogs at http://emmalee1.wordpress.com.

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