Sceptre lands ‘exquisite’ meditation on chronic illness by prize-winning poet Polly Atkin

Sceptre has acquired Some of Us Just Fall by prize-winning poet Polly Atkin, a “raw and exquisite meditation on chronic illness and our place within the landscape".

Jo Dingley, editorial director, acquired UK and commonwealth rights, excluding Canada, from Caro Clarke at Portobello Literary for publication in summer 2023.

The publisher’s synopsis reads: “After years of unexplained health problems, Polly Atkin’s perception of her body was rendered fluid and disjointed. When she’s finally diagnosed with two chronic conditions in her thirties, she begins to piece together what has been happening to her.

“Searching for a sense of belonging, she tries to find her place in the world even as her own body seems to be working against her. Some of Us Just Fall combines memoir, pathography and nature writing to trace a fascinating journey from Polly’s childhood in Nottingham to her current home in the Lake District, where outdoor swimming is purported to cure all ills.

“Delving into the history of her two genetic conditions, Polly explores how these illnesses were managed (or not) in the past and how best to plan for her own future. Touching on medical misogyny and gaslighting, she discusses the illusion of a ’cure’ in the context of chronic illness, particularly interrogating the validity of the nature cure. 

“This essential book examines how we talk about, and deal with, bodies that diverge from the norm, and why this urgently needs to change.”

Dingley said: “When I first began talking about this book with Polly and Caro, they described it as a book not about getting better, but about living better with illness. And it is astonishing how rare that makes it.

“Some of Us Just Fall is a book about living well when you are unwell, about making your way in the world and about the joy and relief to be found in wild places. It is both a comfort and a rallying cry. It’s a truly important book and a beautiful one, and I’m honoured to be able to publish it.”

Atkin, author of two collections of poetry including Basic Nest Architecture (Seren), which won a Northern Writers’ Award, commented: “I’m so excited to be working with Jo and everyone at Sceptre to bring Some of Us Just Fall into the world.

“Too many narratives about disability treat it as a problem to be solved or eradicated, especially in nature writing, where nature is presented so often as a cure-all – a ‘green Prozac’ as Richard Mabey recently put it.

“We need to be able to talk openly about ongoingness, about unrecovery, and how that changes our relationship to the world, human and non-human. It’s fantastic to feel so supported by Portobello Literary and Sceptre and to add Some of Us Just Fall to that conversation.”