The Emma Press signs debut poetry collection about young widowhood

The Emma Press has acquired a "heart-wrenching" debut poetry collection about young widowhood by Catherine Redford, entitled The Way the Water Held Me.

World rights were acquired by the publisher directly from the author, with publication scheduled for March 2026.

At the age of 33, Redford’s wife Rebecca was diagnosed with terminal cancer and passed away, leaving her to care for their newborn child. The Way the Water Held Me "is a mesmeric plunge into the caring, grief, loss and love Catherine has experienced as a young widow", the publisher said. "[It] will take readers on a journey of memory and mourning from a point of view not often shown in contemporary poetry."

Redford said: "I am delighted that The Way the Water Held Me is being published by the Emma Press. After I was widowed, I very much struggled to find the capacity to read; it was poetry that eased me back in, and in the following months I found comfort and consolation in many of The Emma Press’ beautiful little poetry pamphlets.

"I hope that my writing will speak to readers in the same way. A love song to my late wife, the collection is an honest account of the messiness and heartache of bereavement, which – without shying away from the darkness of grief – also offers glimmers of hope."

James Trevelyan, director of The Emma Press, said: "We were all deeply struck by Catherine’s story, and astonished at her ability to then turn that into clear-eyed and hugely impactful poetry. This is a book from a new writer of astounding ability, that not only explores a tragic personal loss but, in finding kinship and joy with the world and people beyond, shows us profoundly what it is to be human."