In the Belly of the Queen Edited by Lizzi Linklater Sankar’s professional expertise is tested

Sankar’s professional expertise is tested to the full

and on the major African poets Niyi Osundare

and moments of realised and imaginary passion are concentrated into cameos and carbuncles – ‘glimmering tokens of memory’

from blues to bluegrass to punk to jazz

Her work also appears in the anthologies Landing Places: Immigrant Poets in Ireland (Dedalus Press

In the Belly of the Queen Edited by Lizzi Linklater Sankar’s professional expertise is testedAmal shocks the whole neighbourhood by beating up her classmate Younes. Her father defends her behaviour and encourages her to assert herself. From then on everyone avoids Amal and then her father leaves. Searching in vain for an explanation, Amal finds refuge with Younes and his mother Shahira, both outsiders like her. Years later, when the situation comes to a head and the conflict with Raffiqs gang escalates, Amal flees to Kurdistan to look for her