What if Stars

By Beth Hartley, Social Sniper, Andi Talbot and Fay Roberts

What if Stars: a poetry pamphlet by Beth Hartley, produced by Allographic Press

“I come from: all points north where the sea comes in, birds rise on the seam of water, air and land; where the sacred calls to me…”

In this debut pamphlet, Beth Hartley brings us a stunning set of words conjuring home, history, place, and family; deceptively softly spoken, with all the strength at its core we’ve come to associate with her work.

Some reviews so far:

“What if Stars is a gorgeous, lyrical collection, exploring the intersection between our physical and emotional landscapes, and Beth Hartley’s writing draws the reader in with its beautiful descriptions and fierce, uplifting warmth. Shot through with empathy and compassion, these are powerful poems that will stay with you long after you’ve finished the final page.” (Leanne Moden)

“There’s so much light in Beth’s words. This collection feels as though it should be weightless.” (Mark Grist)

Allographic Press is delighted to present this debut collection exploring how we exist between the liminal and lists.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Allographic Press
• Release date: Jul 22, 2021
• ISBN: 9781909211223

Book preview

What if Stars: a poetry pamphlet by Beth Hartley, produced by Allographic Press

I come from: all points north where the sea comes in, birds rise on the seam of water, air and land; where the sacred calls to me…

A soft-featured white woman with dark blonde hair tied back, pale-rimmed glasses, light eyes, and a complex expression, is standing at a microphone, presenting a three-quarter profile to the viewer. Behind her are slanted windows, the frames of which are lit in various colours. Through the windows we can see a roof and a clear sky at early dusk. The woman is wearing a white, long-sleeved shirt and is holding an open notebook in her hands. On her visible ear is a small, dark-blue pendant earring that looks a little like a plumb bob or an arrowhead, pointing downward; she has a pale, metallic chain around her neck. Her mouth is closed, but she looks very ready to speak.

Photo by Ken Cumberlidge

In this debut pamphlet, Beth Hartley brings us a stunning set of words conjuring home, history, place, and family; deceptively softly spoken, with all the strength at its core we’ve come to associate with her work.

"What if Stars is a gorgeous, lyrical collection, exploring the intersection between our physical and emotional landscapes, and Beth Hartley’s writing draws the reader in with its beautiful descriptions and fierce, uplifting warmth. Shot through with empathy and compassion, these are powerful poems that will stay with you long after you’ve finished the final page." (Leanne Moden)

There’s so much light in Beth’s words. This collection feels as though it should be weightless. (Mark Grist)

Allographic Press is delighted to present this debut collection exploring how we exist between the liminal and lists.

The Allographic logo: dark blue text spelling the word where each letter is of a different font, the g is backwards, and the lower-case a is rotated 90 degrees. The capital A is very ornate, like a decorated capital letter in a Mediaeval manuscript.

Cover design by Social Sniper from a photo by Andi Talbot

What if Stars is an imprint of

Allographic Press.

All rights reserved – copyright © of contents remains with the contributors.

#hostelheart originally appeared in Impspired Magazine,