Raised from Dust

In this collection of poems, Alison takes us on a journey around the world, from the familiar sight of a homeless man on the streets to the wonders of Asian countryside and culture. With sentiments echoing Ecclesiastes, she mourns the transient nature of our lives and all that we see around us. She then flips the coin and explores birth and rebirth, leading to a hope that transcends our temporal existence here on earth.

Alison grew up in Kent, having been born in Devon in the early 60s. She found faith in Jesus at age eleven and her Christian walk has spanned the years, shaping her choices in life and her writing. She trained as a nurse in London at Guy's Hospital and a year after qualifying, went to work at St Christopher's Hospice. In 1987 she felt God was calling her to "go", specifically to the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan. A door opened through The Leprosy Mission and so she lived there from the end of 1988 to May 1996. Back in the UK she returned to St Christopher’s where she worked until her marriage to Bill Leishman, in 2000, took her to Oldham, Lancashire. After the birth of their first son, Samuel, in 2002, Alison became a full time mum. Tom was born two years later. They moved to Douglas, Isle of Man in 2012.

She started writing poems in her early twenties and had "Faith Hope Love" published in 1987, and "The Song of the Sparrow" published in 1991. She is delighted now after many years of being a busy mum to have another collection published. She hopes that through her writing readers will be comforted and challenged, but above all will be pointed to God who has been with her through the valleys as well as on the mountain tops.

"Being a health professional gives a writer a very particular insight into the human condition, an intimate understanding that is necessarily detached, if also sensitive and sympathetic. Being a mother, too, and a Christian, brings further layers of experience and appreciation that loads Alison Stedman’s writing with a power to both shock and disarm the reader. We are (sometimes darkly) amused by it, too, and intrigued, inspired, uplifted by the work this wryly observant poet has produced – her collection gives us all life: from the fine focus on a melting snowflake to the broad brushstrokes of history, and a new take on Scripture. Stedman is no stranger to pain, whether it be that of childbirth, or the loss of a loved one, or the imagined suffering of Christ on the cross; equally, however, there is deep joy and faith, in relationships, events and in the natural world. In sparse and economical lines, packed with appeal to the senses and the imagination, Stedman evokes places and people, tells stories, and gives voice to a whole gallery of characters. This is a satisfying book from a poet whose next work will be welcomed."

Geoff Daniel
Poetry Advisor, Association of Christian Writers

"In this collection of beautifully crafted poems, Alison captures life in all its stark reality: emotion drips from her expressive words as she, sometimes subtly, paints pictures, revealing the scene before her. These pictures though, come to life and draw the reader in, enabling them to live that reality also. Two of her works particularly stand out for me, ‘Dead Ironic’ and ‘Journey Home’; these I found very moving in their composition, eliciting the feeling of loss as a loved one passes. However, in the second part of her book, ‘Raised’, we are introduced to a very positive theme; we begin to glimpse hope emerge out of the darkness of despair. Alison encapsulates a beautiful, tender moment in ‘Thin Blue Line’, as she relates a mother’s experience of pregnancy, birth and family life – real life experiences. Then the question, ‘What of the future for my children?’ We feel the anguish and yet the hope. Finally, Alison revisits, in graphic verse, the events of the Bible’s New Testament. Her works culminate in the realisation that God’s Kingdom has come on earth through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ – hope comes to a desperately needy world.
Raised from Dust is a book to return to times many. I thoroughly recommend it."

David J. Bailey
Retired Baptist Minister and Author

"Thought-provoking yet very accessible, these are poems that will resonate over and over again with the reader. I’ve found myself coming back to them hours later – pondering on deeper meanings, reflecting on what they have to say about modern life and the people I meet every day, or challenging me about my attitudes and preconceptions. I loved the poems that so vividly portray the Isle of Man, but I also enjoyed those that transported me to bustling cities or exotic faraway places. I read with pleasant nostalgia poems celebrating the precious gift of children and family life and I was deeply touched by those that embrace illness and death. Yet most importantly perhaps, here too are poems that challenge my faith and encourage my often-faltering walk with God; that retell in a new way stories that are so familiar to me; that reveal once again God’s kingdom, and remind me of the depth and power of God’s love for the whole world. Thank you, Alison, for such refreshing and inspirational writing."

Jacqueline Shirtliff
Teacher and former editor of Magnet magazine