straight lines is the first poetry collection by Sanna Peden, who has “an activist streak, a background in film studies and cultural history and a chronic interest in the odd, weird, sad and speculative.” Peden’s work is deceptively simple yet very powerful. It is political, poignant and pointed, abundant with potent lines and provoking ideas. Many of the poems are located in Western Australia, specifically Fremantle, but others are situated in Malaysia, Prague and the British Museum. There is a playful amount of intertextual referencing of other poets, including Bob Dylan and Sylvia Plath.