Aryamati Prize Winner spotlight: Katrina Dybzynska

We are delighted to present a poem from our upcoming pamphlet 'Secrets of the Dictator's Wife' by Katrina Dybzynska, which won the 2022 Aryamati Prize.

“There was a time when I was not the Dictator’s Wife though I’m not supposed to talk about it.”

The Dictator’s Wife confides this in you: her husband has blind spots. Any day now, he may be overthrown. And what of love? It is paling her, until she fears her own transparency. Who is this father of her children, this man who does not smile? Aryamati Prize winner Katrina Dybzynska paints a world of mystery, in which we are always one step behind the omniscient dictator…

About the Author:

Katrina Dybzynska is a nomadic writer published internationally (among others, Mslexia, the London Reader, Poethead, Fly on the Wall Press, Lucent Dreaming) and awarded in 20 competitions. She is a BA-MA Researcher at Global Centre for Advanced Studies. She is passionate about the narratives of ecopoetry, uncivilisation and decolonization. She likes to write from the edges, usually of the Irish cliffs she parks her campervan too close to.

She has just completed working on a poetry collection that explores power, resistance, and compliance dynamics, Secrets of the Dictator’s Wife. She also runs wild creativity retreats in Andalusia: https://katdybzynska.wixsite.com/page

The Dictator’s Wife on cracks

That we drunk champagne and ate caviar as luxury

wasn't creative. It was easy to forget we were part

of the constellation when we felt like stars.

The conflicts were never open. A quiet frown

of disapproval, the colors turning pastel.

Straightening of the wrinkles and of the borders.

Previously drafted sketches became lines

I was not allowed to change. The champagne glasses

held too tight, cracking in my hand.

If you enjoyed this sample you can pre-order this prize-winning pamphlet to be the first to receive a copy in March 2023! Pre-orders here.