Hair Cut (Everything You Know About Me I Grew Myself)
You stand behind me / catch my eye / take the snatch of silver / to this softness of hair / and steal me
strand by strand. / How did I get to a stage where / a stranger could coax me / with a blade? / A man
with careful words / and a gentle smile / and reflect back / all that is beautiful.
Holly Winter-Hughes: Holly’s work has been commissioned by various organisations including Apples & Snakes, Live & Local and Arvon. She has performed extensively across the UK including at Ledbury Poetry Festival, for Raise the Bar and for the BBC. She is passionate about raising the voices of underrepresented people and as such, is the founder and CEO of The Word Association CIC (who have published over 30 anthologies from marginalised communities). She is currently completing an MSc degree in Creative Writing for Therapeutic Purposes, and is a member of LAPIDUS. She is also planning her PhD in restorying the body. Holly is a widely published writer, most recently appearing in Clarion and Impossible Archetype. Her collection, How to Leave a Body… is out in May 2025 with Verve. www.hollywinterhughes.