Heimlich's Manoeuvre

Shortlisted for the 2013 Fenton Aldeburgh First Collection Prize.

This first full collection sees Paula Cunningham reflecting on her upbringing in Northern Ireland, while casting a clear eye on family history and friendships. Its memorable short sequences include 'Fathom', which centres on her father, alongside many varied shorter pieces, humorous, erotic and always surprising. "She has formal gifts in abundance…when her eye is on her native Ulster, magic and frightening things happen."

Paula Meehan Paula Cunningham was born in Omagh, Northern Ireland. Her pamphlet A Dog Called Chance was a winner in the Poetry Business Competition (1999). In 2011 she won the Hippocrates Poetry Prize (NHS section) and was shortlisted for the Edwin Morgan Prize. She has also written drama and short fiction; a short story appeared in the Faber Book of the Best New Irish Short Stories in 2005. She now lives in Belfast, where she works as a dentist.