My debut pamphlet, illustrated by Mairead Dunne and published by Atlantic Press in 2016. Winner of the Michael Marks Award for Illustration.

The poetry is sparse - brief moments of listening and watching as woodland birds move in and out of the clearing. Mairead's illustrations respond to and develop the senses of lighting, clearing and watching in a darkly evocative way.

A bewitching collaboration between Mairead Dunne and poet Luke Thompson, The Clearing examines the characters of birds and the relationships between them as different species cross the clearing and vanish into the dark woods. This is a beautiful book that appeals to the senses: the shadows and muted tones in Dunne’s photographs contrast with the sharp observation of Thompson's writing, in particular an uncanny ability to evoke birdsong and flight patterns.

Nancy Campbell