Selected Poems captures the extraordinary trajectory of Jackie Kay’s three decades in poetry making it the definitive volume of a trailblazing career.

From The Adoption Papers, winner of the very first Forward Prize thirty-five years ago, to May Day, published in 2024 to widespread acclaim, Kay has for decades written eloquently about love and the grief which is its obverse. The poems collated here range widely through time and space, from the Glasgow of the poet’s childhood to around the world and through history, but all with the distinct devotional aspect which has always characterized Jackie Kay’s work.