Well, I am so verily chuffed to say HAPPY LAUNCH DAY to the rather brilliant Margaret Royall, on the Book Birth Day of her latest collection, Hemlock & Honey.
Signed First run, First Edition copies are still (just about) available direct from the lady herself, so don’t delay, order today…
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As I approach my three score years and ten I have been thinking back over the past decades and analysing the memorable events that stand out for me most, reflecting on those that have exerted the greatest influence on my life. Indeed, there have been traumatic times, when life was turned upside down and huge changes were forced upon me. On the other hand I now understand, with the benefit of hindsight, that these have encouraged positive changes and led to hobbies, interests and new friendships that have greatly enriched my life. Without the trauma there could not be the rapture! In these poems I have therefore tried to explore both facets of life. Part One details the negatives and Part Two the positives, thus aiming to provide a balanced overview. I do not seek the sympathy card or see myself as a victim, nor do I want to suggest that life now is totally perfect. It’s a case of moderation in all things.
I have chosen the sonnet form in many poems, having always enjoyed writing in form and particularly using sonnets. Recently I took a course with distinguished poet Anna Saunders on writing sonnets for contemporary times, which I greatly enjoyed. This then naturally followed through into my latest work. It has been a huge challenge to write in this concise poetic form that uses rhyme, but to do it in a non-intrusive way. I hope that in some small way I have succeeded and brought the reader with me on my journey. My wish is to demonstrate that despite life throwing us curve balls, with patient determination we can find solutions, coping strategies that enable us to emerge as stronger, more hopeful and better human-beings.
Margaret Royall
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“In Hemlock and Honey we are introduced to traumas ‘burying themselves….worm-like in salted skin’ and Margaret Royall questions whether this is a ‘Gift or curse?’ Powerful sonnets and other forms give moving and honest accounts: the traumatic deaths of both parents and others close and the harrowing challenges that follow. We are taken through dark childhood memories, illnesses and a longing for peace, at home and in the world. In the section: ‘Honey’, the joy starts to return. We are eyes open in the natural world, where ‘trees spread guardian wings.’ This is a stunning collection you will find yourselves in.”
Julie Stevens
“With her new collection Hemlock & Honey, Margaret Royall is in fine form. The poems in the first part of this lovely book speak of loss, grief and the traumas and challenges of real life, while the second part speaks lyrically of nature’s healing qualities and the power of connection. Strong imagery and sensual details bring us inside each experience, each moment. We see, feel, understand and empathise – not just words but emotions. The poet retains a beautiful lightness of touch with many sonnet forms which delight. Through the darkest moments there is light, hope, and a determination to move forward somehow. The second half is a quest to seek ‘newer shrines… / kintsugi for lost shards’. Of course, what is lost might never truly be found again. But what remains can be enjoyed once more, a balm for the soul provided by nature, music, love and memory. Add to this the healing honey of language itself and you have a magical collection to be treasured.”
Lucy Heuschen
“Margaret Royall’s poetry probes the deep recesses of our souls in the poisonous hemlock of human experience as well as the sweet honey of redemption. Here is a modern Labours of Hercules in the challenges that punctuate our lives, calling us to witness, accept and adapt. Beyond those labours we taste the sweetness of the world and find our own ‘heart-home’, sculpting a restorative beauty and grace in the spirit of connection and renewal. This collection reflects tenderly on the multiple triggers that shock, repulse and etch us: point-sharp moments of chronic illness, loss and grief, and the disconsolations of this world. And though cut, disfigured or defined we can be freed to immerse ourselves in the warm embrace of sense-laden encounters, wrapped in the embrace of life’s wellspring and our new wings of wonder. This is an appealing and resonant collection with a vulnerable and sensitive heart that is fully deserving of a wide readership.”
Glenn Barker
About Margaret Royall
Margaret Royall Margaret is a poet and short story author with seven published books to her name: a micro chapbook Singing The Earth Awake (Hedgehog Press 2019), two poetry pamphlets, Earth Magicke and Immersed in Blue, both from Impspired , 2021, two poetry collections, Fording The Stream (2017, independently published), Where Flora Sings (2020, Hedgehog Press) and a memoir in prose and verse, The Road To Cleethorpes Pier (2020, Crumps Barn Studio).
She has been shortlisted for several poetry prizes, won the Hedgehog Press’ Full Fat collection competition (May 2020) and Where Flora Sings was then nominated for the Laurel Prize. She has been widely published in journals and online, including Impspired, Dreich, Black Bough Poetry, Indigo Dreams, Sidhe Press, Eat The Storms, Hedgehog Press, Yaffle Press and many others.
She was recently chosen by Erbacce Press as one of four featured poets for 2024 and her poetry plus in-depth interview was showcased in their autumn quarterly journal. Her publications in 2024 featured a new collection from Hedgehog Press, Toccata & Fugue with Harp, and a chapbook from Dreich, Owl Fetish.
For the past three years Margaret has been assistant poetry tutor alongside distinguished poet and author Angela Locke MA on the annual Iona Creative Writing retreat. She has also been a panel judge for the U3a’s annual National Short Story Competition.
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- X: @RoyallMargaret
- Author page: www.facebook.com/margaretbrowningroyall
- Instagram and Threads: @meggiepoet
- Bluesky: meggiepoet@bsky.social
- Website: https://margaretroyall.com/my-books
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Product details
- Paperback : 44 pages
- ISBN-13 : 978-1-916830-54-7
- Product dimensions : 14.81 x 0.43 x 21.01 cm
- Official Release Date: 23rd January 2026
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Order Signed Copies Direct From Margaret Royall HERE