The title of the very first poem in this collection — ‘Broadcast’ — introduces an ongoing theme of sound and voice, attention and connection. The word suggests families gathered round a wireless, involved in shared listening. Of course, a broadcast doesn’t always find a listener. In the age of social media, corporate communicators are cautioned against one-way ‘broadcast mode’ and advised to seek ‘engagement’. But a true listener has perhaps become a rarity. Zayneb Allak immediately proves she is one, alert both to languages and accents and to what people are really saying…

from Sphinx