May We All Be Artefacts

“Chloe Hanks’ melodic writing style rocks the reader into a dream-like state, with hauntingly beautiful scenes of autumnal skies and ghostly ballets. May We All Be Artefacts is a landscape of glorious imagery, transporting the reader to magical realities before bringing the point home with heartbreaking poignancy. This is a collection for the poets, for the lovers and above all for the dreamers.” 

Scarlett Ward Bennet

“May We All Be Artefacts is an exciting and urgent new release, from a powerful and distinct voice. Hanks intermittently borrows from existing artwork, striking strong intertextual links with other artists, while also establishing her own perspectives. She borrows from magic, folklore and feminism to create fierce and sometimes disturbing narratives throughout. Neither trite nor forced, Hanks’ use of structure and imagery complement each other, further compounding the dark fairy-tale feel that is infused in these works. This is a debut pamphlet that shouts its arrival, to be consumed in one sitting – then read, and read again – May We All Be Artefacts showcases Hanks’ skillset and potential, marking her out as a compelling new poet.”

Charley Barnes

May We All Be Artefacts is very candid, yet very contemplative.

Winner of the V. Press Prize for Poetry 2020

“This year’s winning portfolio for the V. Press Prize for Poetry is ‘May We All Be Artefacts’ – chosen from the University of Worcester’s shortlist of five for its striking and thought-provoking imagery, focal slants and choice of words. These are poems crafted with a painter’s eye for vivid details and a poet’s ear for language, its sounds and music. The scenes brought to life feel real, relevant and resonant.”

Sarah Leavesley, V. Press editor and prize judge

ISBN: 978-1-8380488-2-2

32 pages, perfect bound

RRP £6.50

A sample poem from May We All Be Artefacts can be found below.

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May We All Be Artefacts (including P&P/delivery options)

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I Am a Drawing of a Flower

You should see it in me,

the way Sylvia draws the flowers –

even the texture of the paper.

The weight of ink,

the scratch. I am burdened

by this desire to appear

delicate whilst inside

the fires rage on –

you cannot save the art

I am determined to destroy.

I lose myself in the lines

and you fail to notice –

so long as it looks nice.

I filter myself like ground coffee

until the bad stuff is gone;

it’s time to move on.

Like Sylvia when she draws

the flowers – no one knows

what goes on below

where the wildflowers grow

REVIEWS

"Chloe Hanks creates strong rhythms in her pamphlet through the repetition of words and sounds as well as her use of form and rhyme. She uses these means to capture atmosphere, and I found it particularly interesting how these enhanced her ekphrastic poems." 

Sue Wallace-Shaddad, Sphinx, full review here.