Anna Ralphs Outside __full__ Official

There is a particular kind of magic in a book that makes you want to press your palm against a windowpane. Anna Ralphs’ debut poetry collection, Outside (Granta Poetry, 2016), does exactly that. It blurs the boundary between the climate-controlled comfort of ‘inside’ and the wild, breathing, often terrifying expanse of ‘outside’.

Ralphs captures that distinctly British obsession: the neurotic checking of the weather forecast. She writes not just about storms, but about the anticipation of storms; the low-pressure systems that hang over relationships and living rooms alike. The book is bookended by two of its strongest pieces. The titular poem, Outside , sets the tone with a sense of sublime dread. She describes the space beyond the window as a living entity: "Outside, the air is older / and knows things." It is a place of risk, but also of honesty. Inside, we lie to ourselves; Outside, the wind doesn't care about your feelings. anna ralphs outside

In poems like Mildew and The Moths , the outside forces its way in—damp, decay, and insects invading the sanctity of the living room. Conversely, in poems like Weathering and Outside , the speaker is drawn out, compelled to walk into gales and rain, finding a strange solace in the brutality of the natural world. There is a particular kind of magic in