This poignant debut by Gavin Bradley explores the emotional toll of different kinds of separation: from a partner, a previously held sense of self, or a home and the people left behind. The main narrative describes the deterioration of a long-term relationship, interweaving poems dealing with the loneliness of immigration and the anxiety of separation from Northern Ireland, the poet’s homeland. These personal poems enter their stories through a variety of characters and places, from dock builders to dogs, from shorelines to volcanoes, to “mouths soft and humming like beehives.” Other sections of the collection examine a post-Troubles’ experience in Northern Ireland (evoking the lived-experience of growing up with bombs and domineering Catholicism), tell grandfather stories, and show a lasting love for the people, the language, and the land. Separation Anxiety ultimately conveys a message of hope, reminding us that “we’ll be remembered for / ourselves, and not the spaces we / leave behind.”

Gavin Bradley is an award-winning writer from Belfast, Northern Ireland, currently living in Edmonton, on Treaty 6 territory. His work has appeared in The Irish Times, The North, Best New British and Irish Poets, and Glass Buffalo.

Gavin Bradley's profile page

• Short-listed, Robert Kroetsch Award for Poetry | Alberta Book Publishing Awards, Book Publishers Association of Alberta
• Winner, Bridges of Struga International Poetry Award

#4 on the Edmonton Poetry Bestsellers list, June 25, 2023

Bradley deals with difficult emotions he’s revealing to a wider audience, a level of vulnerability and exposure that can be challenging. But it can also lead to something constructive, a release valve.

Justin Bell, Edmonton Journal, March 24, 2022

“Gavin Bradley writes with great heart, vulnerability, and an engaging lilt and lyricism, taking the reader on an unforgettable journey historically, geographically, and emotionally.” Joanna Lilley, author of Endlings

#2 on the Edmonton Poetry Bestsellers list, June 5, 2022

#8 on the Alberta Non-fiction Bestsellers list, June 12, 2022

#10 on the Edmonton Poetry Bestsellers list, April 23, 2023

#9 on Edmonton Poetry Bestsellers list, January 15, 2023

#8 on the Alberta Non-fiction Bestsellers list, March 19, 2023

#7 on Edmonton Poetry Bestsellers list, April 10, 2022

#1 on the Edmonton Poetry Bestsellers list, June 12, 2022

Separation Anxiety follows the deterioration of a long-term relationship, interweaving poems dealing with the loneliness of immigration and the anxiety of separation from home. The idea was to explore the emotional toll of different kinds of separation and loss, but to do so without losing a sense of hope that things can get better. I think it’s a book that a lot of people can relate to. Whether you’re part of an immigrant community or not, separation is something we all go through at different times in our lives.

Gavin Bradley, The Quad, March 21, 2022

#3 on Edmonton Poetry Bestsellers list, April 3, 2022

#2 on the Edmonton Poetry Bestsellers list, March 19, 2023

#10 on the Edmonton Poetry Bestsellers list, May 14, 2023