Today I’m delighted to welcome talented poet, Julie McNeill, to reflect upon a poem from her debut chapbook, Ragged Rainbows (Hybriddreich, 2021)

Thank you so much to Nigel for inviting me to drop in to talk about my debut pamphlet, Ragged Rainbows. I’m imagining we are chatting about the poems with a hot cuppa in hand, quietly bearing our souls and attempting to put the world to rights as this is how many of the poems in the collection were conceived.

The pamphlet came together at the height of the #metoo movement when women were sharing their experiences of discrimination, sexism and abuse in an act of solidarity and sisterhood. I was so inspired by their strength that I began speaking to the women in my life and recording their stories. I am forever indebted to them for their honesty and bravery and for trusting me with their stories…