It’s rare to find a poem that perfectly captures the anger, absurdity, complexity, and hilarity of grief—something which Sherman Alexie does again and again in his new collection of poems, FACE, which is just out from Hanging Loose Press, and which I devoured in one sitting, and then immediately started over and re-read from the beginning. One poem in the book that I adore is “Grief Calls Us to the Things of This World.” It’s been almost 20 years since my mother died, and 10 since I lost my father…and there are still days I forget they’re dead. Alexie is right: those angels “burden and unbalance us. Those fucking angels ride us piggyback.” Every day.
Input your search keywords and press Enter.
The Rumpus needs your help. We need to raise $25,000 $10,000 to fill our funding gap for 2024.
Our home base is Asheville, NC and Hurricane Helene severely impacted our ability to host events, launch new initiatives, and caused other significant financial setbacks this fall.
Can you support us at any level by Dec. 31? Every dollar counts and is a sign that our readers collectively value creative labor and independent publishing.
Sign up for the weekly Rumpus
Once a week, we'll send you a roundup of what's new on the magazine, invites to upcoming events, open calls for submissions, and more!