Lizzie Smith

Mermaid on Legs

In Mermaid on Legs a mermaid swims in and out of the narrative. She is a selkie and can shape shift. When she grows legs and lives on land, she can experience joy and suffering in the body of a woman. However she always has the chance to escape back to the sea. From the fringes of society, living in an ocean where life is dying, she sings you elegies – as well as cheeky scherzos.

ISBN 978-1-912876-32-7

Paperback

66 pages

£10.00 +P&P

THE AUTHOR

Lizzie Smith grew up by the seaside in St Andrews in Scotland. She went to Cambridge University to study literature and ended up working in Japan, Switzerland and England. She has sung some very high notes, climbed several scary mountains and diced with death, diving in Thailand. She now lives in Edinburgh with her husband and two children and passes on her love of language, as a teacher.

“A fascinating first collection, with mermaids – young, mature or ageing – but not always as you might expect.  These poems take the reader on unusual explorations – even a fine last will. Smith deftly explores feminist issues such as agency and the perceived role of women.  Many poems display an environmental concern.”

Christina de Luca