‘three days after she broke my nose / we pinned up bunting’.

Winner of the Literature Wales Book Of The Year Poetry award and Nation Cymru'r People's Choice Award 2025. Set against the darkness of abuse in a queer relationship, this vibrant collection also shines a new light on experiences of love, motherhood and self-realisation.

The language of Rhian Elizabeth’s poetry feels instinctual: the poems pulse and ripple with energy, their rhythms are perfectly pitched. Elizabeth writes of personal experience with an intensity and sharpness that challenges you to look closely. girls etc showcases a defiance, alongside the beauty and vulnerability here, which resonates long after the last page is turned. Rhian Elizabeth brings a breath of fresh air to contemporary poetry.