Exciting news – Alison Huckvale’s first book is due to be published on 25th March 2021 by Olympia Publishers in London.

The Tortoise of Hope is a collection of verses and poetry whereby carrying the whole world on her back encompasses everything from pigs kissing to naked space hoppers. Alison gives thought to inanimate objects i.e. crisp packets whilst resonating with the voices that accompany complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. She offers the most accurate and imaginative way for readers to understand the effect of the disorder. The use of tortoise (and other animals) throughout is interesting, introducing a common theme which is an unusual subject for any collection of poetry.

The Tortoise of Hope is a collection of poems shaped and inspired by her disability, and its impact on identity. Take a look into her world, where hiding led to isolation and where going out in public created fear; her wheelchair her stigma. Yet, a degree she earned and a teacher she became, as her body attempted to cope and adapt; poetry became a way of penning down expressions – an explosion of emotion without a voice.  Many shadowless days were given a creative outlet; escape into innermost spaces.

Whilst recovering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, she came out of her shell, to write poetry as a mechanism to improve her mental health. In the same way that ‘Fred’ had always struggled to come out of hibernation one year; with weeks of hope, she has created a collection of poems where ‘hope’ is a predominant feature, a feeling of desire, an expectation and an essence of trust. It might have taken time to conjure words, however like the appearance from hibernation, she’s been awakened to see life from multiple perspectives.

The Tortoise of Hope is available to pre-order from Olympia Publishers for £6.99 now.