Roy McFarlane's second poetry collection, The Healing Next Time, is a timely and unparalleled book of interwoven sequences on institutional racism, deaths in custody and of a life story set against the ever-changing backdrop of Birmingham at the turn of the millennium. Here forms a potent and resolute narrative in lyrical and multidimensional poems which refuse to look the other way or accept the whitewashed version of events.

Courageous, rageful and mournful, these are poems of Black history and Black presence, poems of witness and poems of activism. McFarlane's intricate lines make record of injustice and mark the names of those who have lost their lives and dignity to prejudice and hatred. The Healing Next Time also asks vital questions of the future, and of the reader - and reminds us where the power to change things lies. It is also a poetry of personal discovery, of revelation and resilience - where the influence of Jazz and of James Baldwin infuse and shape this unique, remarkable book.

About the Author
Roy McFarlane is a Poet, Playwright and former Youth & Community Worker born in Birmingham of Jamaican parentage spending most of his years living in Wolverhampton and the Black Country, now residing in Brighton. Roy is Canal Laureate for Britain, and Birmingham & Midlands Institute Poet in Residence, as well as being the former Birmingham Poet Laureate. From Amsterdam to Philadelphia, Roy has shared his passion for social justice, equality, identity, love and the healing power of poetry as a witness to our times. His debut collection, Beginning With Your Last Breath, was followed by The Healing Next Time, (Nine Arches Press 2018) shortlisted for the Ted Hughes award and longlisted for the Jhalak Prize. He has an MA in Writing Poetry from Newcastle University and the Poetry School.


Book Information
ISBN 9781911027454
Author Roy McFarlane
Format Paperback
Page Count 72
Imprint Nine Arches Press
Publisher Nine Arches Press