by Grace Andreacchi It was not without some trepidation that I set out on my first ever journey to the Middle East this winter. I’d be visiting Istanbul first, with my husband, and then we’d be undertaking an extensive tour of Syria with our two sons, one of whom has been perfecting his Arabic during [...]
Elegy by Mary Jo Bang
Graywolf Press, 2007 Review by G.A. Banks-Martin How To Mourn A Son On March 6, 2008, Elegy, Mary Jo Bang’s fifth book of poetry, won The National Book Critics Circle award for 2007. The book, an extended lament for the poet’s deceased son, reminds us that death, while final for the dead, must be contended [...]
Hagiography by Jen Currin
Coach House Books, 2008 Review by Elizabeth J. Colen Years of Words Blown to Bits Jen Currin’s Hagiography works backwards. From Death to Birth, with Childhood and two Intermissions between, we are treated to a lyrical voice that makes strange connections and allows the reader sometimes only scant assistance between great leaps of imagery and [...]
Theory of Orange by Rachel Simon
Pavement Saw Press, 2007 “Free association is or “Everything that irritates us about others, leads us to understanding ourselves.”: a review of Rachel Simon’s Theory of Orange” –Metta Sáma Rachel Simon’s debut collection, Theory of Orange, 2005-2006 Transcontinental Poetry Award winner, judged by Dean Young, opens with the (false) promise of a “Recipe for Success”. [...]
