In this
sparkling debut, Matthew Hollis immerses us in the undercurrents of our
lives. Love and loss are buoyed by a house full of milk, an orchard
underwater, the laws of walking on water. Rainwater, floodwater, flux -
the liquid landscapes which shift relentlessly in Ground Water -
threaten and comfort by turns. Matthew Hollis's poems are brimming with
courage in adversity as well as the promise of renewal, culminating in a
powerful sequence about a father's struggle with terminal illness.
Matthew Hollis's first collection Ground Water was shortlisted
for the Guardian First Book Award, Whitbread Poetry Award and Forward
Prize for Best First Collection. His second collection, Earth House, followed in 2023.