Tenderness, grief, fear, shame and delight are situated in the world of reproduction, and also in this splendid, intelligent poetry collection – the second by historian, academic and poet Nadia Rhook. This new work is a creative melding of the history of 18th century convict women, including her own ancestors, with the poet’s particular story of fertility and mothering. The language is expertly crafted and the ideas explored are both personal and political, inviting the reader to examine what is carried in our stories of the past and birthed in our own lives.