New Release: Morvoren – the poetry of sea swimming

RELEASE DATE: End of June 2022
AUTHOR: Multiple – see below

‘Morvoren: the poetry of sea swimming’ is the title of our book, celebrating women in Cornwall who swim regularly in the sea for health, wellbeing and happiness. It presents a collection of poems and photographs of those women, telling their stories. 

The group of nine Cornish women poets who are creating this book is powerful, strong and resilient – similar to the women in sea swimming communities in Cornwall –  She Swims Falmouth, Manamaids, Morva swimmers, Gylly Surf Life Saving Club (women’s group), Gylly Swimmers for Wellbeing.

If you’ve ever swum in the sea or wished you could, this collection of poems and imagery will immerse you in the ocean and show you why. 

The poets involved in this project are Ella Walsworth-Bell, Polly Roberts, Hannah Temme, Kerry Vincent, Kate Barden, Ruth Eggins (on Scilly) and Abigail Ottley, Morag Smith and Penelope MacBeth. Katrina Naomi has also supported us.  

Due to be published in June 2022, the Morvoren project has involved interviewing swimmers (sometimes in the sea!), listening to their stories, creating poems together as a community collaboration, and adding photographs to fully immerse the reader.

Our photographers Alice Bray and Rita Maureen Hencke, got right in the water with the swimmers to create unique and beautiful images. These bring to life both the poems and the joyful swimming communities of Cornwall.

Poet Ella Walsworth-Bell says:

“Everyone has volunteered time and effort to make this project a success. We are delighted to say Morvoren will be printed in Cornwall. We want to get from the screen to page – to raise the money to format and print our book. This is a wholly women-focused and women-created project which aims to create beauty and magic from sea swimming. Please support us, and support women across Cornwall who’ve worked to make this a reality. The journey has been wonderful so far – we want to spread the word even further.”

Poet and sea swimmer Katrina Naomi says:

“I recognise so much of my own sea swimming in these stunning, anarchic, joyful poems. Here are other women who also delight in cold water, of being ‘burned alive from the ankles up’. These poems ask, ‘Why wouldn’t you swim?’. Read this anthology, see if it doesn’t have you running for the waves, ‘nipples like limpets’. Brava to one and all.”

Meet them in person

Online workshop – Tues 7th June – £3
Penzance Litfest (8 July) and St Ives Festival (September)

And if you’re a writer? Share with us online

The Facebook group Morvoren: the poetry of sea swimming was set up for women to share poems they’ve written and images they’ve taken. Be brave and plunge right in, or applaud others – we are a supportive group. Opportunities to take part in live/online poetry workshops will be posted here.

Read our back catalogue of previously released books

Yoga Stories from Guru Guptananda by Tessa HIllman
26.2 sMILES: From smoking on the sofa to sprinting in the big smoke by Emma Grigg
An Island of Secrets by Eva Glyyn
A Mossy Dreaming by Trix Robertson and Miranda La Mutanta
The Lip by Charlie Carroll

Categorised in: New releases

This post was written by samstone