{"product_id":"laurence-levy-atkinson-too-much-night","title":"Laurence Levy-Atkinson, Too Much Night","description":"\u003cp\u003e'With a forensic eye, Levy-Atkinson documents his various symptoms, but he also finds solace in the natural world; interactions with the environment seems to soothe his obsessiveness and take him out of his headspace. \u003cem\u003eToo Much Night\u003c\/em\u003e is full of descriptions of seasonal changes, of being immersed in all manner of sounds and textures: mango trees, wild mushrooms, rock faces, driftwood and birds of spring. There’s both light and dark in this collection; the mix is just right.' Thuy On in \u003cem\u003eThe Sydney Morning Herald\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eToo Much Night\u003c\/em\u003e is a remarkable debut collection whose roots stem from the deeply personal but whose scope is universal, offering a reflection on alienation, the duality of nostalgia and the lights of discovery; about the awareness that something is missing and the endless search for a name. Born from lived experience, \u003cem\u003eToo Much Night\u003c\/em\u003e was written as a response to Laurence Levy-Atkinson’s collapse into and return from the depths of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, something he was unaware he had been suffering his entire life and whose eventual diagnosis was nothing short of a revelation. Distinctive, conversational, and with a dash of humour, these poems chart a course of encroaching darkness and slow recovery, building towards a resounding expression of acceptance and hope. Much more than an autopsy of struggle however, \u003cem\u003eToo Much Night\u003c\/em\u003e is an attempt to reconcile the absurdity of the natural world, a return to a coastal childhood where missing pieces were always just out of reach, and a full-throated hymn to the power of names. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e‘In \u003cem\u003eToo Much Night\u003c\/em\u003e, Laurence has produced a collection of poetry whose roots stem from a deeply personal journey but whose audience is universal. The poems centre around their author’s lived experience of undiagnosed major mental illness and builds towards a resounding expression of acceptance and hope. It is a work of literary significance that deserves a wide audience.’ Bronwyn Mehan, \u003cem\u003eSpineless Wonders\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e‘In a world of 24-hour news cycles and attention-grabbing TikTok videos, Levy-Atkinson’s lyric poetry is a soothing balm. His work touches on the lead-up to – and aftermath of – his Obsessive Compulsive Disorder diagnosis, a mental health condition first identified in the early 17th century yet still poorly understood by the general public. Importantly, he writes about his struggles in a way that is not alarmist or defeatist, illustrating that there is no linear road to diagnosis or recovery.’ Broede Carmody\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLaurence Levy-Atkinson is a writer and poet, raised in Brisbane and based in Melbourne. His work has been widely published, including by \u003cem\u003eCordite, Southerly, Australian Poetry Journal, Penumbra \u003c\/em\u003eand\u003cem\u003e Spineless Wonders\u003c\/em\u003e, and anthologised for the Anna Davidson Rosenberg Award, Ros Spencer Prize and the inaugural \u003cem\u003eOystercatcher Anthology\u003c\/em\u003e. T\u003cem\u003eoo Much Night\u003c\/em\u003e is his first full length collection.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLaurence Levy-Atkinson, \u003cem\u003eToo Much Night\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSeptember 2025. 148mm x 210mm. 80pp.\u003cbr\u003eISBN 978-1-925735-79-6\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis project has been assisted by the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0182\/8349\/files\/CreativeAustraliaLogo_HorizontalBlack_Medium_306d6307-95f0-44ae-b87e-e933241d9921.png?v=1701428706\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Vagabond Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46962061705373,"sku":"","price":25.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0182\/8349\/files\/LLA-TMN.jpg?v=1750812332","url":"https:\/\/vagabondpress.net\/ja\/products\/laurence-levy-atkinson-too-much-night","provider":"Vagabond Press","version":"1.0","type":"link"}