An artist with family connections to Burray has described how Orkney helped her ‘heal’ while writing poetry inspired by the islands.

Amy Hirst wrote her personal poetry compilation in Orkney ‘when life felt a bit too much’, and has now turned her work into a hand-bound book.

‘Navigating the Flow’ features poems based on family connections and healing and is partly inspired by her Orcadian grandfather’s message that the islands are ‘as much about the people as the landscape’.

Amy, whose mother grew up in Burray and who has visited Orkney for more than 40 years, says the ‘sense of calm’ and ‘better perspective’ helped her pen the 14 poems.

Whilst being off work, struggling with anxiety and coming out of a long-term relationship, Amy said the process of writing the Orkney-themed poems helped her ‘get a sense of what’s important’. Her writing has also helped her to explore her queer identity. 

The collection starts with poems written on the journey to Orkney from her home in Huddersfield, and ends with a poem written on the way back.

Other poems featured are inspired by collecting seaglass in St Margaret’s Hope, music performances in Stromness, Orkney’s neolithic ‘halls of stone’ at the Ness of Brodgar, and the now disappeared blockships at Churchill barrier no.4.  The title ‘Navigating the Flow’ was inspired by a walk around Hoxa head on South Ronaldsay. 

Amy said:

“Orkney is a place where I associate really happy memories of visiting granny and grandad. I spent a whole summer there with my grandad, Ronald Park of Cellardyke, Burray, when I was 16, and it’s something he said to me, ‘It’s people not places that matter’, which has really stayed with me.  I wanted to capture some of the joy I now see replicated by my nieces and nephew who come to visit their granny and grandad for holidays in Orkney. 

“I just feel a sense of calm the minute I arrive in Orkney, I think it’s the big skies and being able to look at the horizon that can make you sort of get a better perspective on life.

“It’s also a place of ideas and innovation. When I was writing these poems a couple of years ago, it helped me get more of a sense of what was important to me by reminding me of the sorts of things I’m interested in, because I think I’d lost myself a little bit.

“Everything from the innovation in renewable energy or the history and the archaeology, the art and artists here, the music as well. All of that just helped me get a sense of myself again.

“I was getting reconnected and getting curious in things again because you can just spend time noticing. I suppose because it’s somewhere I know really well but I’m slightly removed from.

“Writing the poems was like a journey – it starts with one I wrote on the way up and ends with one written on the way down. The pace of life here helped too – I just had family around me and knew I didn’t have to be anywhere or be anything – I could just watch the boat come in and go out, it took me out of a place that was causing me a lot of stress.

“Orkney’s always inspired my artwork from a young age.  I used to play on the remains of the Carron at Burray beach as a child and I’ve often painted things inspired by the blockships and Orkney landscapes. It’s something I’ve woven into my career as an artist at different times.

“This was a time to focus on writing and distil all of that, what had probably been bubbling away all my life. I was kind of forced into it with being off work, just forced to take a break from everything.”

Amy’s poetry book is hand-bound and made using risograph printing, a process similar to screen printing which is known for its vivid colours and unique textures. The book also features illustrations by the artist inspired by the places where the poems were written. 

Amy added:

“I want people to be able to hold it in their hands. It’s such a personal book of poetry – I’m inviting people into this little world and I wanted to celebrate that.

“I went on a course to learn risograph printing, but there’s also something very mindful and meditative about stitching it all together into hand-made books that reflects the unhurried joy of being in Orkney.”

Navigating the Flow is available as a limited edition, A5 hand bound poetry book at The Orcadian Bookshop in Kirkwall, and Stromness Books and Prints.