Though a few are not fully realized, in general these poems balance the dire and dystopian with the joyful and caring, inviting the reader to stay onboard for each new voyage. A collection that should not be missed.
An uneven poetry collection, but ultimately, the author’s pulse on social mores makes for an interesting read, as does her hard-earned understanding of married love and family life during bleak pandemic times. Recommended for public libraries.
The mostly short poems featured here often exhibit lively, inviting language, but too many of the poems focus on description, leaving readers hungry for more narrative, more emotion, or the zinging of Prikryl’s best poems. Recommended for larger public libraries and some university collections.
In intelligent, lyrical poems often tapping into deep emotion, Nurske brings humanity to his subjects. He could be describing the writing process itself when he says: “When I skipped rope before memory/ the song was already in my mouth.” Highly recommended.
In mostly short poems, Herbert describes a vibrant yet highly vulnerable world. Occasionally, the writer focuses too much on scientific nomenclature, but usually she breathes life into fossils, skeletons, and nature today, even our world in its current damaged state. A unique and thrilling collection that pulses with wonder; not to be missed.
An interesting, mostly well-written collection that rewards readers with small epiphanies, especially about family life (“his body emitting // that constant low heat of the still-growing”).
Despite the poet’s tendency to overstuff some poems, he has a distinctive voice adept at capturing the moment: about a tattoo session, he says, “I watched the needle in the mirror stitch / my mirrored skin like softly oozing silk.” The best poems change and evolve, working that synergy between brain and heart and a loved other (“I am sorry. And the child // we declined /// shivers on the long black lawn”). A worthy addition to most collections.