The Red Rubber Ball of Happiness

Frances Williams' third collection of poetry features a cast of quirky characters: from lovers, friends and children to Andy Warhol, Courtney Love and Wilson 'Snowflake' Bently, the first man to photograph a snow crystal.

Her voice is oblique, tender, reflective, as adept at spinning unusual conceits as capturing urban snapshots of London streetlife. Her work as an art critic informs her poems on artworks as diverse as Japanese prints, surrealist sculptures and video installations. This sophisticated and exuberant new collection is a worthy successor to Williams's well-received Wild Blue.

Frances Williams has a BA in Fine Art from Liverpool University and an MA in Sculpture from Chelsea College, London. In 1998 she received an Eric Gregory Award. Since then she has published widely in magazines, read her work at festivals and on the radio. Her reviews and articles appear regularly in the national press, and she is the former editor of Diva.