Poetry. California Interest. SHRINKING ULTRAVIOLENT is the manifesto of one of nature's wallflowers. Often out of her comfort zone in this fast-paced urban world, forced to navigate private and public issues of gender identity, mental health and depression, this earnest narrative still manages to keep a sense of humour. Punning and poignant, this is a modern book of hope for those who feel inadequate in their lives.

There is a fierce perceptive power at work in these poems; one which is based on experience and translated into an intoxicating range of images and words. Rebecca Bird possesses an individual voice and she has a genuine talent for arresting images. These are poems about love, life, identity and transgender issues. They startle with their honesty.--Maria Taylor