Cruel & Vicious
Having been asked to perform at a festival in South Wicklow post-lockdown, Álanna initially compiled Cruel & Vicious as a way of having all of her poems together in the one booklet. Something to be able to read in one go. Only three or four copies were supposed to be printed, but thanks to Wally O’Neill from Red Books; Álanna was convinced to publish hundreds of copies of the chapbook which sold out in less than 48 hours.
Ar iarradh uirthi léamh ag féile i gCill Mhantáin tar éis géibheann, chuir Álanna Cruel & Vicious le chéile ar dtús chun a cuid dánta go léir a bheith le chéile san aon leabhrán amháin. Rud le bheith in ann léamh in aon turas amháin. Níor ceapadh ach trí nó ceathair de chóipeanna do chur i gcló, acht a bhuí le Wally O’Neill ó Red Books a bhí ar Álanna na céadta cóip den chaipleabhar a fhoilsiú a díoladh amach i níos lú ná 48 uair an chloig.
Ayant été invitée à participer à un festival à Wicklow après la pandémie, Álanna a d'abord compilé Cruel & Vicious pour regrouper tous ses poèmes dans un seul livret. Quelque chose à pouvoir lire d'une seule traite. Seuls trois ou quatre exemplaires étaient censés être imprimés, mais grâce à Wally O'Neill de Red Books - Álanna a été convaincue de publier des centaines d'exemplaires du livre qui s'est vendu en moins de 48 heures.
"With startling and freshly unique imagery Álanna Hammel captures the deep and the real with an all-encompassing vigour. Her sense of rhythm and intelligent use of rhyme, alliteration, and assonance reveals an accomplished and cultivated style. Her ability to catch and hold onto the reader’s attention is imaginative and revitalising as she challenges the reader to think while simultaneously illustrating gems of wisdom and insights. Alanna Hammel’s work is a breath of fresh air in a sometimes stagnant and predictable field and she exhibits skillful, natural rawness and groundbreaking originality. She is most definitely one to watch."
ANNE IRETON
“Álanna Hammel’s debut poetry pamphlet reflects on lived experiences and invites us to find amusement at our own expense. In a compelling voice, this collection meditates on life and writing. Throughout, Hammel underlines the struggle to make meaning or sense of poetry, yet in doing so she succeeds. This is a pamphlet of multitudes: from lost schooldays to the green shoots of college life in ‘Two Lattés and a Lemon Meringue’, from the wonder of crafting poetry to the sense of exasperation at not knowing ‘the rules’. Taken together it is a collection that asks the reader to go beyond the binary of either/or and embrace a sense of both within the same space. Hammel’s work speaks to trial and error in a wonderfully playful collection that flows with wit. Her poetry captures the tonal range of youth and she brings the reader with her in her lyrical debut that vibrates with energy.”
GRÁINNE DALY
