It seems incredible that a year ago today my debut collection, Minx, was launched upon an unsuspecting world. April 8th is International Romani Day, an auspicious start for a collection celebrating the cultural history and diversity of the Roma. The venue was the London Review Bookshop where I first saw my pamphlet, Didicoy, in a ‘real bookshop’ and the venue for meetings with Sarah Howe, my lovely editor.
During her first year Minx has appeared on Radio 4’s The Verb, travelled to Edinburgh Book Festival, Ledbury Poetry Festival, Deptford Literature Festival and Soho Poly – to name just some of the venues she’s led me to. She has featured in The Guardian (twice) and Magma magazine. I’ve even recorded Minx as an audio book in a throat bustingly amusing day in the studio at Penguin House. Fabulous fun!
The most rewarding experience of our journey has been the conversations I’ve had with friends and strangers after readings and those who have contacted from far and near -the Netherlands, Paris, Portugal, Ireland, and even Australia. It’s heartwarming to hear how the story in Minx resonates with so many different people.
The highlight of this year was hearing that Minx has been shortlisted for the John Pollard Foundation International Poetry Prize. It is an honour (and rather unnerving) to see my little book alongside the other wonderful poets shortlisted for the prize.
Many thanks to all her readers, reviewers, event organisers who invited me to read and take part in festivals, to my agent Elise Dillsworth and my wonderful team at Chatto and Windus. Most especially I’d like to thank Sarah Howe, my editor and all round loveable poetry confident. What a year!
Karen Downs-Barton 