Advertisement
Books

The Kids by Hannah Lowe review: Poetry that sings from the page

This award winning collection explores then world of teaching in inner city London with empathy and insight.

The Kids by Hannah Lowe is out now (Bloodaxe, £10.99)

Hannah Lowe’s The Kids – whose Costa Poetry Award win will hopefully draw in a new set of readers – gleams with contemporary sonnets that sing on the page. The conversational poems centre around Lowe’s experience of teaching at a sixth form in London and reckon with the immeasurable impact of learning.

This wry collection ends with an emotional sequence about her child, Rory, who is growing up into the glorious world ahead. The vitality of these poems is tangible.

Lowe deftly unpacks the conflicts that arise in the classroom, in revelations that can be uncomfortable. Fictionalised homages about her pupils are acutely observed, tracing the vulnerability of being at school, whether as a student or teacher. In the book’s middle section, Lowe’s role is reversed when she reflects on her own painful experiences as a young person.

You can buy The Kids from The Big Issue shop on Bookshop.org, which helps to support The Big Issue and independent bookshops.

This article is taken from The Big Issue magazine. If you cannot reach local your vendor, you can still click HERE to subscribe to The Big Issue today or give a gift subscription to a friend or family member. You can also purchase one-off issues from The Big Issue Shop or The Big Issue app, available now from the App Store or Google Play.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertising helps fund Big Issue’s mission to end poverty

How many kids, Keir?

Ask the PM to tell us how many kids he'll get out of poverty
Image of two parents holding two small children, facing away from the camera

Recommended for you

Read All
This book proves the margins of society are not silent – they're full of voices bursting to be heard
Books

This book proves the margins of society are not silent – they're full of voices bursting to be heard

Relearning to Read by Ann Morgan review – eye-opening and revelatory
Books

Relearning to Read by Ann Morgan review – eye-opening and revelatory

100,000 Birthdays by Cynthia Rogerson review – as fun as it is profound
Books

100,000 Birthdays by Cynthia Rogerson review – as fun as it is profound

Top 5 books about migration and personal journeys, chosen by Gosia Buzzanca
Books

Top 5 books about migration and personal journeys, chosen by Gosia Buzzanca

Most Popular

Read All
Renters pay their landlords' buy-to-let mortgages, so they should get a share of the profits
Renters: A mortgage lender's window advertising buy-to-let products
1.

Renters pay their landlords' buy-to-let mortgages, so they should get a share of the profits

Exclusive: Disabled people are 'set up to fail' by the DWP in target-driven disability benefits system, whistleblowers reveal
Pound coins on a piece of paper with disability living allowancve
2.

Exclusive: Disabled people are 'set up to fail' by the DWP in target-driven disability benefits system, whistleblowers reveal

Cost of living payments: Where to get help in 2025 now the scheme is over
next dwp cost of living payment 2023
3.

Cost of living payments: Where to get help in 2025 now the scheme is over

Citroën Ami: the tiny electric vehicle driving change with The Big Issue
4.

Citroën Ami: the tiny electric vehicle driving change with The Big Issue