A while back I was lucky enough to be sent a copy of In February, Larissa Reid’s first collection of poetry. In February 2018, Larissa challenged herself to write a poem every day, using writer Robert Macfarlane’s ‘words of the day’ on Twitter as inspiration. Robert Macfarlane is the author of the brilliant book The Lost Words amongst others. Many of Larissa’s poems reflect her love of nature and the natural world.
In this collection, you will find poems which feature snow, fog, aconites, faultlines, gossamer threads, islands, beaches and so much more. Each poem is followed by the word of the day which inspired it and what it means. Larissa writes so beautifully using language which appeals to all the senses. Her work is imaginative and lyrical and at times poignant.
I particularly liked Footprints, dedicated to geologist Hugh Miller, which speaks of the connection between old and new, between nature and people, the continuing cycle of life and where we find what matters to us. Archipelago and Timeless are poems which also seem to connect people to the past and the present, and emphasise the way seasons continue unceasingly even as human life flourishes then withers.
I don’t read an awful lot of poetry but really enjoyed this collection. Every poem spoke to me in some way either creating a vivid picture in my mind, making me think or creating an emotional response. I am grateful to Larissa for sending me a copy of her work.
Buying link: In February
About Larissa Reid
Larissa Reid is a poet and fiction writer, and has been working as a freelance science writer since 2012. She is a founder member of the Edinburgh writing collective, Twisted::Colon. Larissa is intrigued by visible and invisible boundary lines in landscapes and language – liminal spaces, geological faultlines, myth versus reality – and how these influence people and society.
Larissa’s poetry and short fiction has appeared in two Twisted::Colon anthologies, published in 2016 and 2019 (https://twistedcolon.blog/). She also had a story published in Nightingale & Sparrow’s magazine (Issue IV, Nevermore) in October 2019, and a creative non-fiction essay published by Epoch Press in Spring 2021. Larissa is currently working with mixed media artist Elspeth Knight on a collaborative arts project called rock|salt. The project explores the heritage of the South of Fife. Full details: https://www.instagram.com/rocksaltproject/
Larissa has recently been working with artist Elspeth Knight on a collaborative arts project called rock|salt. The project explores the heritage of the South of Fife. Full details: https://www.instagram.com/rocksaltproject/
Larissa lives in Fife on the east coast of Scotland.
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