The Dereliction is a love letter to the post-industrial landscapes of the Black Country. Liz Berry’s poems have been praised for their use of the vernacular, the twang of West Midlands dialect. Her poems are matched with Tom Hicks’s stunning photographs, part of his ongoing documentary photography project Black Country Type, that show the colours and textures of the post-industrial landscape. Together, their vision is a celebration of place which is as vital and lyrical as Wordsworth’s celebration of the Lakes.
The book is introduced by Black Country novelist and poet R.M. Francis, and also includes a conversation between Liz Berry and Tom Hicks about their collaboration and what their home territory means to them in terms of their work.
