Goonie

SHORTLISTED FOR FORWARD PRIZE BEST FIRST COLLECTION 2025

''Goonie is a boisterously brilliant collection that sings like the mother of all songbirds'' Michael Pedersen, author of The Cat Prince

''An absolute beauty of a book by an absolute beauty of a writer. Goonie is an essential tribute to life and fight and love and language'' Hollie McNish, author of Lobster

''I''ve enjoyed Michael Mullen''s poems since the moment I first encountered them. He is brave and funny, Glasgow-gallus and compassionate . . . Goonie announces a real new talent'' Kathleen Jamie, author and former Scottish Makar

''This is gorgeous, maximalist poetry, playful and glittering but rooted in anger and honesty, a sensual Technicolor shot of Scots joy. I will be raving about this for years'' Kirstin Innes, author of Scabby Queen

''These poems are tender weapons that will smash through any apathy that still remains towards the Scots language, they are pulsing with humour and wit but the reverence that Mullen gives to every day moments, characters and life make me realise there is always more to learn, more to see, deeper to go. I have no doubt Goonie is a new Scottish classic'' Leyla Josephine, Forward Prize-winning poet

Goonie is the raw and joyful debut collection from award-winning Scottish poet and spoken word artist Michael Mullen.

Whether exploring queerness through fierce lyrical poetry or celebrating Mullen''s beloved Scotland through vernacular vignettes, Goonie''s main preoccupation is with how we form community around us and how community, in turn, forms us.

Many of the themes are encapsulated by the title poem as the narrator readies themself to take the stage and perform for their older relatives wearing an old goonie (a nightdress): ''Ma aunt raising her vodka Iron-Bru, a tumblr ae noxious flame, a toast / tae me, n ma frilly jig. Awk A jist lettum wear witever he wahnts tae wear.''

In Goonie, the oral tradition of Scots combines with whip-sharp Glaswegian humour to bring alive in language and form the full spectrum of human connection: working class friends gathering round a fire, a living room ceilidh, an chat in the hairdresser''s chair, a queer awakening. These poems show the power of acceptance, togetherness and creative expression.

All aspects of Mullen''s life as a performer, a poet, a queer son, a Scot, a working-class boy, come together on the page to form a collection that casts a sceptical eye on identity whilst also championing it. Ultimately, Goonie address the ties that bind: it is a testament to how love - of ourselves, our heritage, our landscape, each other - transforms everything.