Spectral Evidence: Poems

Drawing parallels between early American witch trials and contemporary racism, Pulitzer winner (for Digest) Pardlo’s third collection explores the concept of self-knowledge by applying a kind of critical self-theory that considers how “spectral evidence”—dangerously false impressions conjured from fear of the Other—influences societal and individual perceptions of gender and race (“stand your ground against a black/ body and the courtroom says amen”). While his social criticism can be sharp, Pardlo recognizes that systemic injustice also requires personal complicity, unconsciously or not (“Just as I own my American way of/ leveling the playing field by separating others from their histories. Not all lives matter in this great republic.”) Unlike much activist poetry, Pardlo’s is infused with a scholar’s deep knowledge of literature, art, and history (“The Marion Devotions”) and a flair for unusual imagery (“With tango arms/ we hold the wedding knife”).