Cheerio nabs 'intricate and ambitious' debut poetry collection by Lewis

Cheerio has nabbed world rights to a "comedic and tragic" debut collection by poet Ali Lewis.

Poetry editor Martha Sprackland acquired world rights to Absence directly from Lewis, and the book will be published in February 2024. 

The book is described as being about nothing or "nothings" and the synopsis adds: "Both intricate and ambitious, comedic and tragic, Ali Lewis’s poems mirror, undermine, reframe and rephrase each other in a voice that feels as precise and scientific as it is playful and warm. Attuned to the importance of emotion without sentimentality, and to space as well as attention, Absence reckons with grief in order to understand, rather than conquer it. It is a book of restless curiosity and revelation."

Sprackland said: “I’m thrilled to be working with Ali – a poet I have admired for years – on his first book. This material is handled with sublime sensitivity and wit, and wears its considerable wisdom lightly. Both those who, like me, have been eagerly anticipating this debut, and new readers coming to Ali’s work for the first time, will be captivated."

Lewis received an Eric Gregory Award in 2018 and his poems and short stories have appeared in various magazines, including the TLS and the New Statesman.