What other poetry books have you been reading lately?
Just today, I finally read Magdalene by Marie Howe. It’s an astounding book. Short poems, for the most part, that manage to avoid feeling sparse or lacking. She’s capable of telling these heartbreaking stories, capturing so many details of a relationship in a miniscule space. They feel like shadow boxes, or dioramas. Given I’m exclusively writing sonnets at the moment, her economy of space is very intriguing to me.
Historically I had to focus on finishing one book at a time. Now I’ve found myself able to keep multiple in-progress books on deck. I’ve long suspected that my ADHD changes how it expresses over time, and it may have something to do with that new ability. But there’s an embarrassment of wonderful poetry coming out this year. I just finished reading Constellation Route by Matthew Olzmann, which was fantastic. Playful and grave in its approach to letter writing and ode. Before that I read Rise and Float by Brian Tierney, Love Letter to Who Owns the Heavens by Corey Van Landingham, and The Echo Chamber by Michael Bazzett. All spectacular collections, in their own ways attempting to navigate the new and terrifying world with an eye trained on joy.
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