'Bittersweet is an anthology of tremendous depth - it features poets from around the world writing in a series of colourful, eclectic styles. This is an important publication in that it shows not just the vitality of the black British poetic voice but its standing in the context of writing from around the world. With a mix of published and new pieces, the anthology has both a freshness and a succulent familiarity on the tongue. The poems have intellectual substance, tragedy and comedy, but above all a sense of humanity...Every woman, be they Lorna Goodison or Olive Senior has a story to tell, and each text is treated as part of a wider, epic recital.' Kevin Le Gendre, Independent on Sunday
‘Karen McCarthy has
put together perhaps the most significant collection of black women’s poetry in
recent years. Bittersweet is
dedicated to phenomenal women. Ordinary women whose "wounds have healed into
poems" and whose words catch and burst in your throat, taking your breath away.
Don’t deprive yourself of this experience. It’s so good it hurts.’
‘A resonant and
moving collection of works from known and lesser-known poets.’
Big Issue
‘This is an
awe-inspiring collection that marries truth, depth and wit, and sings in praise
of the contradictory nature of black female experience. Buy it.’
Pride Magazine
Contributors include Patience Agbabi, Maya Angelou, Malika Booker, Merle Collins, Rita Dove and Alice Walker.