A Poem is a Parachute

‘Megan Schaffner knows how poetry works. She knows the way a strong poem can float you gently to somewhere you’ve never been before/ [where] with luck/ you’ll land wrong side up/ exhilarated/ ready to explore a new country. This is precisely what Megan’s poetry does. As soon as you land, you realise you are in the hands of a consummate guide. Pleasure awaits. This poet-guide is deeply wise and funny. She is thoroughly intelligent and gentle. She is totally without bluster or ego. She chauffeurs you through her country with thoughtfulness, wit and dexterity. She is fearless in the face of the big topics: beauty, dementia, eros, anger, silence, art and war. But a list cannot take you to a country. You simply have to go there. Set off on your travels into this elegant and well-wrought book with high hopes and total confidence. Megan Schaffner knows how poetry works.’ – Dr Gina Mercer