The Poem Must Forgive: E. J. Koh’s The Magical Language of Others
Empathy and forgiveness must begin with understanding.
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How to Write about Nothing: Kate Zambreno’s Drifts
But the evasion is purposeful, and the purpose is to marvelous effect.
A Tightrope Act: Frozen Charlotte by Susan de Sola
It’s de Sola’s genuineness in portraying this tightrope act that is Frozen Charlotte’s chief virtue.
Frenetic, Excitable, and Direct: Sylvie Baumgartel’s Song of Songs
This poem lets her—the speaker and Baumgartel—be too much.
Everything Is Alive: Dunce by Mary Ruefle
Ruefle’s memories are as alive as the bodies holding them.
On Loss of Land and Loss of Girlhood: Taneum Bambrick’s Vantage
Girlhood remains, like the land, a constant site of male fascination, desire, and violence.
The Joypain of Parenting: Lydia Kiesling’s The Golden State
This is both the exercise and exorcism of motherhood.
Inhabitation and Invocation: Candice Wuehle’s Death Industrial Complex
The speaker must believe in transience, in shapeshifting without permission.
Queer Logic: Females and My Autobiography of Carson McCullers
“Everyone is female, and everyone hates it.” A provocation. An invitation.
Barbara Berman’s National Poetry Month Shout-Out
Barbara Berman reviews seven poetry collections to celebrate National Poetry Month.
Man vs Man vs Nature: Beyond the Sea by Paul Lynch
So begins an odyssey of survival. Will they make it?
For the Love of Dogs: Jennifer Finney Boylan’s Good Boy
In this sense, [the dogs] are a perfect foil for the conflicted young author.