Daniyl Lowden
Arlo Parks' lyrics have always had a tactile and intimate nature with the London-born songwriter often claiming that her songs began life as poems. It is perhaps no surprise, then, to learn that she will release a poetry collection later this year.
The Magic Border: Poetry and Fragments from My Soft Machine will be published on September 12 and arrives after Parks inked a book deal with Harper Collins. The collection features 20 original poems and exclusive photography alongside the complete lyrics to her latest album, My Soft Machine.
"Writing poetry, to me, is about profound interiority," Parks says in a statement. "It is about wading into the saltwater of your own body, capillaries bursting, eyes brimming, unmoored. This collection is the fruit of that inner probing. It is a tangled mass of everything that has made me angry or giddy or low or impossibly happy to be alive. It has taken me almost twenty-three years to share my poetry beyond a few trusted friends. Poetry was my place, my little clearing in the forest, where I could quietly put everything I was holding. I’m not sure what gave me the courage to open up that space to you but here I am, doing it."
The announcement of The Magic Border follows the May release of Parks' second album, My Soft Machine. Last month she appeared on The FADER Interview podcast to discuss the themes and cinematic influences on the record.
