Austin Araujo’s debut poetry collection At the Park on the Edge of the Country (Ohio State University Press) explores life at the intersections of immigration and naturalization, adulthood and childhood, understanding and apathy. Using figurative language and descriptive imagery, the collection’s three sections separate poems into formal and thematic movements. The first section addresses borders, […]
Local book reviews
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Book Review: ‘New and Old’ art zine by Cooper Whittlesey
There’s something omnivorously large about Cooper Whittlesey’s aesthetic. He’s obviously spent time studying his craft, even though he might be considered an outsider or underground artist. His work suggests that of Gary Panter, Jean-Michel Basquait and Harmony Korine. That’s who came to mind when I came across Whittlesey’s book of collected works, New and Old, […]
Posted inBook Reviews
Book Review: ‘Off Izaak Walton Road: The Grace that Comes Through Loss’ by Laura Julier
In Becoming Native to This Place, Wes Jackson says, “Either all the earth is holy or none is. Either every square foot of it deserves our respect or none does.” In Off Izaak Walton Road, winner of the River Teeth Literary Nonfiction Prize, Laura Julier shows us how true this is with heart, grace and […]
Posted inAlbum Reviews
Book Review: ‘Soft Ceremonies’
Pitched with the concept “if A24 made horror in the days of shot-on-video,” indie press Filthy Loot’s horror collection Soft Ceremonies absolutely hits its marks. For the uninitiated, A24 is an indie film production company whose horror movies are known for arthouse elements and getting under people’s skin. “Shot-on-video” is exactly what it sounds like: […]
Posted inBook Reviews
Book Review: ‘Plain Clothes Hamburglar’ by Sean Moeller
Sean Moeller’s debut poetry collection Plain Clothes Hamburglar (Rejection Letters Press) is a tightly compressed collection of vignettes that are laden with beat, location and nostalgia to create an anthemic volume of poems that, despite their playful dressing, ask to be taken seriously. Divided into sections by ingredients in a hamburger (bun, pickles and onions, […]
Posted inBook Reviews
Book Review: ‘Optional Saint’ by Kelsi Vanada
Kelsi Vanada’s Optional Saint (Bench Editions) is a delicate collage of poetic styles that maintain a signature sparseness of language — the poems ask the reader to connect the dots. What’s interesting and exciting about Vanada’s poetry is that she trusts the reader and invites the reader to become part of the narrative. With brevity, […]
Posted inBook Reviews
Book Review: ‘Mojave Ghost’ by Forrest Gander
I read about one book of poetry a year. I enjoy poetry now, despite an adolescence spent being intimidated by it. I am thrilled that Mojave Ghost by Forrest Gander (New Directions) became my poetry book of the year. Structured with page breaks and asterisks but no formal titles, he creates something that flows effortlessly […]
Posted inBook Reviews
Book Review: ‘Green for Luck’ by Margaret Yapp
Margaret Yapp’s Green For Luck (Eastover Press) is a refreshing shock to the senses. Every page asks the reader to unlearn their expectations. I hear all the time that readers want to be surprised — I even tell my own students that — but it’s been a long time since I experienced it. In Green […]
Posted inBook Reviews
Book Review: ‘Blue Light Hours’ by Bruna Dantas Lobato
I was a daughter who left her mother. This is a fairly common experience, from my understanding of the world, many children leave their parents, either to move down the street or across the country. My act of leaving was comparatively short in distance but long in duration, as I packed my suitcase once and […]
Posted inBook Reviews
Book Review: ‘Far From Broken’ by Kelsey Bigelow
According to the back of the book, Kelsey Bigelow’s Far From Broken (2024) collection is “an expansion of her spoken word album Depression Holders and Secret Keepers” which was released in advance of the book. I haven’t heard Bigelow’s work aloud, but I can say that there were several poems which seemed so clearly meant […]
Posted inBook Reviews
Book Review: ‘Disturbing the Bones’ by Andrew Davis and Jeff Biggers
As a teenager, Dan Brown changed my brain chemistry. My obsession with his books grew from my more youthful, and more naive, obsession with Indiana Jones — back before I understood that cultural artifacts should probably stay with their culture of origin. Dan Brown made me feel sophisticated and smart, creating an affection for political […]
Posted inBook Reviews
Book Review: ‘My Lady Melisende’ by Misty Urban
There is a special type of book that I affectionately refer to as the “kettle corn book.” Growing up, there was no food that my stepmom could eat more of than kettle corn. It was simultaneously awing and terrifying how much of it she could put away without thinking about it. A good kettle corn […]
