Antiemetic for Homesickness

Born on the fiesta of San Sebastian in her hometown of Lipa Batangas, Romalyn Ante left the Philippines at 16, when her mother – a nurse in the NHS – brought the family to the UK. The poems in her debut collection, Antiemetic for Homesickness, are a bridge between these two worlds: lush with the smells and tastes of home back in the Philippines, they piercingly explore notions of identity, homeland and heritage across cultures, languages and the place one calls home.Soaked in a rich landscape of memory, Philippine mythology, and folklore, and studded with Tagalog, her poems speak of the ache of assimilation and the complexities of belonging, but also the healing and restoration that can be found through her work as a nurse.
From a talented young poet already garnering prizes and praise, this is a debut alive with vitality and possibility, a feast for the senses, and one that offers a dazzlingly unique perspective on identity in an ever-expanding world.