Across the Line

Forged on the fields of a 1970s council estate and telling a story 55 years in the making, these beautifully crafted poems take you on an unflinching journey. Spanning five decades and crossing three continents, Anthony Brough's debut collection of poems brings to life, with visceral and tender clarity, his journey from a scruffy working-class kid to inspirational teacher and sharp social observer. Reflecting both Mancunian and Liverpudlian working class roots, Across the Line provides stolen glimpses of what it felt like to grow up on an everyday estate, with nature and the post-industrial landscape the setting for the trajectory of a life. With typical Northern lyricism and humour, these poems take you on a journey through the natural world, allow you to bask in the warm glow of developing friendship and occasionally leave you stunned with their brutal honesty. The poems found within Across the Line are a heartfelt exhortation to challenge all that corrals us and instead embrace the adventures that life provides.