Into the Night that Flies So Fast by Milena Williamson
Into the Night that Flies So Fast is the debut collection of poems from Belfast-based Milena Williamson, investigating the life and death of Bridget Cleary, in 1895 burned to death by her family on suspicion of being a fairy changeling.
Fusing docupoetry and true crime, travelogue and drama, the book introduces a compelling cast of characters as the ill-fated Bridget, her family and members of her community all come onstage to give their versions of events. In the ‘Interval’ of this play for voices, the speaker herself draws back from Bridget’s story to reflect on her own new life in Ireland, on the relationships and journey that have brought her to this interrogation of one of the darkest episodes in Ireland’s past.
Into the Night that Flies So Fast is the debut collection of poems from Belfast-based Milena Williamson, investigating the life and death of Bridget Cleary, in 1895 burned to death by her family on suspicion of being a fairy changeling.
Fusing docupoetry and true crime, travelogue and drama, the book introduces a compelling cast of characters as the ill-fated Bridget, her family and members of her community all come onstage to give their versions of events. In the ‘Interval’ of this play for voices, the speaker herself draws back from Bridget’s story to reflect on her own new life in Ireland, on the relationships and journey that have brought her to this interrogation of one of the darkest episodes in Ireland’s past.
Into the Night that Flies So Fast is the debut collection of poems from Belfast-based Milena Williamson, investigating the life and death of Bridget Cleary, in 1895 burned to death by her family on suspicion of being a fairy changeling.
Fusing docupoetry and true crime, travelogue and drama, the book introduces a compelling cast of characters as the ill-fated Bridget, her family and members of her community all come onstage to give their versions of events. In the ‘Interval’ of this play for voices, the speaker herself draws back from Bridget’s story to reflect on her own new life in Ireland, on the relationships and journey that have brought her to this interrogation of one of the darkest episodes in Ireland’s past.
About the Author
Milena Williamson is from Swarthmore, Pennsylvania and has lived in Belfast since 2017. She has a PhD in poetry from the Seamus Heaney Centre at Queen’s University Belfast. A recipient of the Eric Gregory Award, she published her debut pamphlet Charm for Catching a Train in 2022 (Green Bottle Press). Her writing about Bridget Cleary has been supported by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and the Ireland Chair of Poetry. She was the 2023 Ciaran Carson Writing and the City Fellow.
Praise for Into the Night that Flies So Fast
‘In this shape-shifting narrative, not only do we meet Bridget Cleary, the woman inside the poet’s head, but we are also given a startling glimpse of how aspects of Cleary’s story reverberate into today; of other voices that will always be an absence. A brilliant debut.’
— Moyra Donaldson
‘A lyrical gymnast, Williamson’s work soars in even the most dangerous spaces. Though she delves into humanity’s darkest side, Williamson’s poetry is also dexterous, playful, and full of compassion in this formally ambitious and expansive collection.’
— Rosamund Taylor
Publisher: Dedalus Press
Date Published: 25 March 2024
Paperback, 88 pages.
ISBN: 9781915629173
