'Apple Water' is a small collection of poems and short prose based on Raine's Romany family who amongst other things picked fruit, vegetables and hops in both Herefordshire and Kent. Many of these poems have been inspired by actual events, personal stories and photographs, as well as the inclusion of 'found' words which help to bring the characters to life. Raine uses Romani language (jib) to add authenticity to the life of the Travelling people and has woven it into the collection not only to honour these folk but to create new and innovative forms of poetry, combining both the old and new.
"These are poems of Roma memory and survival brought to life through beguiling lyric and dramatic telling. They bring a way of living, of thinking, listening, and seeing, into immediate and natural focus."
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David Morley
, winner of the Ted Hughes Award for New Poetry