Shedding Skin, the debut poetry collection by James Martyn, possesses an instinctive skill with language as it explores the small triumphs and the great heartaches of ordinary lives. Here are poems that celebrate, salute and commemorate, crafted with both narrative power and lyricism. Each poem is imbued with extraordinary perceptions, whether it is writing about a child examining a frog, the end of an affair or cooking a hat. The voice is assured, not without humour, authentic at all times.
James Martyn is from Galway and is a member of the Talking Stick Workshop. His work has been broadcast on RTÉ and BBC Radio and he won the Listowel Writers’ Week Originals short story competition. He was shortlisted for a Hennessy Award in 2006, for the Francis Mac Manus Award in 2007 and 2008 and the William Trevor International Short Story Competition in 2007.