Seven Layers

Seven layers revolves around what it means to bring a child into the world. The child is born by emergency c-section, violently and chaotically, and after the birth the mother is struck by an overwhelming awareness of the body’s fragility. In light of the miracle that is life, the world into which the child is born emerges with a new and intrusive seriousness. The climate crisis and insecurity about the planet’s future make it necessary to seek out a new way of looking at nature, searching for connections and softening hierarchies. By focusing on the vulnerable and seeing our surroundings as both valuable and vital, the collection projects an alternative, non-destructive way of relating to the world.

About the author 

Julie Sten-Knudsen, born 1984, has published a number of poetry collections, including Home is a Direction, The Atlantic Grows, and Traces of Birds. Her poems have been translated into German, Polish, Bosnian, Swedish and English. In 2021 Julie Sten-Knudsen received the three-year working grant from the Danish Arts Foundation.

Text translated by Sharon Rhodes