Asleep in the Teapot

'In his introduction to 180 more, an anthology of which he was editor, Billy Collins spoke of a preference for poetry in which ‘a human voice is clearly sounded – poems with the front door left open’. Judy Dally writes poetry in which the door is flung wide and the welcome mat is out. Wander inside and you feel as though you’ve come home – to the minutiae of our ‘little lives’ made suddenly important and tender and funny by Judy’s clear-eyed and compassionate poetry. And don’t be fooled by the seeming simplicity of some poems; Judy has a deftness of touch that less nimble poets fall over themselves to achieve. To many non-poets, poetry doesn’t have a living presence at all, let alone one with a human voice. To them, poetry is just as dead now as it was inside their dusty schoolbooks. Judy Dally will convince them otherwise.' – Louise Nicholas

'Judy Dally’s delightful and delicious book of poems will be the perfect antidote to those who, angry, frustrated and confused, have given up reading contemporary poetry. The poem ‘Anniversary’ is one of the most exquisite love poems I have ever read.' – Jeff Guess

'Judy Dally’s wit, wisdom and humour are refreshing and rare. Like a degustatlon dinner, Asleep In the Teapot contains a range of different courses and remarkable flavours. Judy deftly captures an era, its people and their common psyche, and doesn’t shy away from darkness. From the black humour of ‘After the Death Sentence’ to the sparkling imagery in poems such as ‘Kiosk’, where the tide/tucks its brooms and mops/and cloths/under its soapy arms/shoulders its load of dirty water/and returns to the sea, this poetry collection is full of whimsical twists and turns, rich imagery and keen observations by one of SA’s most loved poets.' – Jude Aquilina