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.
Here’s what some amazing poets have been saying about the book:
‘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
‘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
‘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
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
Part of why I wrote In the Lily Room was to be in conversation with other people, especially other mums, about the experiences of early motherhood. I would love for the poems to help another mum who has struggled, to feel more seen and less alone. If you are a member of a mother’s group, or work in perinatal or postnatal care, and are interested in a reading or workshop around the themes of the book, please get in touch.
Erica Hesketh 