“Wild Boar invites the reader into the darkest parts of the forest where a previously silenced female voice finds a new wild power. Poems that expand, take up space, howl, cackle and buck with the feel of changing seasons. A mesmerising collection.”
Ruth Stacey
“To read Jenny Hope’s poetry is to become one with nature. These poems uncover the interconnectedness of earth and woman, the strength that binds them together. Here, the richness of soil and words fill the mouth, and we discover a delicious blurring of human, animal and natural worlds. Our ‘inner raw’ secrets are unlocked while the moon looks on. In Hope’s words, we are reminded that ‘you know your inner map’ – power lies in half-light hedgerows and forests, waiting to be reclaimed.”
Claire Walker
Wild Boar is very visceral and very feminist.
ISBN: 978-1-7394122-6-5
86 pages
R.R.P. £11.99
A sample poem can be enjoyed below.
PRE-ORDER Wild Boar NOW using the paypal options below.[Wild Boar is published Feb 2026. Pre-orders will be sent out in the week of publication.]
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Persephone Uncovered
for Gisèle Pelicot
You know they tried to bury her? That need
to silence. They robbed her of her voice –
don’t get causing trouble – don’t make a scene.
He held her down. Filled her mouth with soil.
After all, Hades was a God. Nothing should detract
from his public image. Society was taken in –
believed this. If a woman spoke up, she was sin
and despite many similar stories, there was little heed
or concern. The other Gods, well, they made a pact,
brushed it under the carpet. Chose the official voice,
the narrative. They had good P.R. Nothing must spoil
the name of the Gods. They hid the truth. Their Creed
was such. So, she became forgotten, her truth screed
over. Yet rumours persisted. They tried to find her skin,
her body. Demeter watched her farmhands toil
with picks and hoes until their flesh began to bleed.
No luck. Her family knew they had little choice
but to mourn. One day, Hades’ phone was hacked.
The Tabloids knew a good story. Decided to act.
(Their readership was down, so the merest gleam
of a celebrity exposure and their lips became moist
with anticipation.) Nothing would stop them. In
hindsight, their methods were unethical. Indeed,
there’d be questions now. Meanwhile, under soil,
Underworld, Persephone lay sleeping. Royal,
a queen now, even though their marriage act
was forced. Her mother taught her well. Seeds
lie dormant before they gestate. Death, often clean,
as when you decay, that’s when life may rebegin.
But different now. When you reclaim your voice,
it is never the same voice you were before. Choice
doesn’t really come into it. You see, surface, topsoil,
is what most people choose to see. Yet, within,
or underneath, the composition has changed. Fact.
You know what’s inside is very rarely seen?
It’s not always safe to let it out. Often a need
from others. To hide cold facts. Just keep it in.
They think you’ll bleed. That you might spoil
their nice clean narrative. You will reclaim your voice.
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