Siarad: Poetry and Prose

Award-winning writer and celebrated spoken-word performer Caroline Reid plumbs the depths of intimate human relationships in this bold and energetic collection of poetry and stories.

Siarad, a Welsh word meaning to talk or speak, is a 34-track audiobook that pushes the limits of the form. The work pulses with images of stars and stray dogs, highways with no horizon and mothers with fading memories. It’s a book of social and cultural commentary with poems about life and death and love. There are betrayal stories, surreal stories and lush stories that luxuriate in language, all with a consistent element of surprise.

Reid’s voice weaves in and out of an unconventional soundscape designed and produced by Jeffrey Zhang. The flow packs a punch. It’s an emotional roller coaster, which will make you laugh out loud and cry in the one sitting, and have you wanting to listen to it all over again.

Critic Reviews:

“Psychedelic. Startling. Alive. This book takes you to places you never imagined you’d go, and some places you’ve already been, but thought you were alone when you were there. Caroline Reid is a fellow traveller in a chaotic world. She tells a woman’s story, but it is the story of us all.” (Donna Ward, She I Dare Not Name: A Spinster’s Meditations on Life)

“The singing energy of Welsh literature is here grafted onto Australian colloquial informality and laid-back irony. The poems, prose poems and flash fictions in this collection demand to be read aloud to get the full effect.” (Kerryn Goldsworthy, Sydney Morning Herald)

“A great introduction to poetry and flash fiction for the uninitiated. Reid’s writing is satisfyingly complex, without being obscure, and relatable without being simplistic.”

(Tracey Korsten, Glam Adelaide)