In the Lily Room, my first poetry collection, tells a story of early motherhood. It examines a new mother’s journey through mental illness, her relationships with her body, her baby and other people, and the often surreal landscape of mothering, against a backdrop of a changing and uncertain world. The cover art is by the brilliant artist Laxmi Hussain.
I’m really proud and excited that this book is now out in the world! I’m doing lots of events and workshops over the next few months – please see the Events page for all upcoming dates.
Here’s what some amazing poets have been saying about the book:
‘This is for all the mothers – mother of stone, mother of ice, mother of fire, mother of dark. A stunning debut: intelligent, tender and unwaveringly true.’ Clare Pollard
‘Erica Hesketh asks “What if all the world’s mothers / rose up at once…” Perhaps if we did, our conversations would sound like these poems, which look head-on at the frightening, transformative, love-filled days of early motherhood.’ Kim Moore
‘In the Lily Room is full of poems of wonder, grief and awe, poems of endless unfurling, rich with the knowledge of secret things. It feels, so often, an insurmountable task to articulate the experience of one’s entry into motherhood. Erica Hesketh has done so in a way that feels seamless.’ Victoria Adukwei Bulley
‘A debut collection of meticulous detail, emotional depth and intellectual bravery. Hesketh brings a self-questioning generosity and scrupulousness of empathy to the way she writes into early motherhood – the contrasting advice, the anxiety, the lives of other mothers – as well as the way she interrogates language.’ Will Harris
Read a poem from the book
Here is ‘In praise of Sertraline’, featured on the Nine Arches Press blog.
Buy a copy of In the Lily Room
Waterstones; Foyles; Amazon; or better yet direct from Nine Arches Press
Support your local bookshop
Rather than going to one of the big retailers, ask your local shop to stock the book.
Mother’s groups
I really want this book to reach, and help, other mothers. If you are part of a mother’s group, or work in perinatal or postnatal care or in midwifery, and would like me to give a reading or workshop around the themes of the book, please get in touch.
Erica Hesketh 