A riveting and esoteric collection of poems that creates space for coping with grief, violence, racism, and loneliness.
In his debut poetry collection, Scott explores the intersections of race, class, gender, and sexuality.
The collection is divided into three parts covering distinct themes. In “Moonrise: Womb of Culture,” Scott elegizes his older brother, a victim of a mass shooting. He reflects on the inevitability of the loss of young Black lives: “In America, it’s sad, but practical / to plan for a Black child’s funeral,” the speaker explains in “Carrying Coffins.” Death and tragedy pervade this segment, which also explores Scott’s identity as a Black queer man. In “Midnight: Paradise of Self,” the author examines the intersection of his race, sexuality, and socioeconomic status, grappling with his position as a queer, working-class, educated Black man. Finally, in “Moonset: Resurrecting Social Worlds,” Scott looks outward at society, addressing pervasive racism and objectification in poems like “A Lesson Henrietta Lacks Teaches Anyone Willing to Learn” and “Churches of Hemlock.” Notably, this is also the section in which the author finds connection, ending the entire collection depicting a party of queer people in “Seven People Dancing.” Though his work is steeped in sometimes painful reality, Scott creates an alternate world in which he can explore intense subject matter; readers are swept into this sacred space to commune with the poet and understand his experiences. References to the delphinium plant simultaneously signify the dark corners Scott explores and the level of passion evident in his work. Allusions to Greek mythology align his work with classic literature while subverting readers’ expectations of neo-classical poetry and the “ivory tower” air of the form. While his references can sometimes seem inaccessible to a general audience, his verses create an emotional journey that all poetry readers can enjoy. Experiments with form allow for visual interpretations of each poem, enhancing the reader’s experience.
A riveting and esoteric collection of poems that creates space for coping with grief, violence, racism, and loneliness.Pub Date: June 18, 2024
ISBN: 9781942004684
Page Count: 108
Publisher: ELJ Editions
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A virtuoso performance and an ode to an undervalued medium created by two talented artists.
The veteran actor, comedian, and banjo player teams up with the acclaimed illustrator to create a unique book of cartoons that communicates their personalities.
Martin, also a prolific author, has always been intrigued by the cartoons strewn throughout the pages of the New Yorker. So when he was presented with the opportunity to work with Bliss, who has been a staff cartoonist at the magazine since 1997, he seized the moment. “The idea of a one-panel image with or without a caption mystified me,” he writes. “I felt like, yeah, sometimes I’m funny, but there are these other weird freaks who are actually funny.” Once the duo agreed to work together, they established their creative process, which consisted of working forward and backward: “Forwards was me conceiving of several cartoon images and captions, and Harry would select his favorites; backwards was Harry sending me sketched or fully drawn cartoons for dialogue or banners.” Sometimes, he writes, “the perfect joke occurs two seconds before deadline.” There are several cartoons depicting this method, including a humorous multipanel piece highlighting their first meeting called “They Meet,” in which Martin thinks to himself, “He’ll never be able to translate my delicate and finely honed droll notions.” In the next panel, Bliss thinks, “I’m sure he won’t understand that the comic art form is way more subtle than his blunt-force humor.” The team collaborated for a year and created 150 cartoons featuring an array of topics, “from dogs and cats to outer space and art museums.” A witty creation of a bovine family sitting down to a gourmet meal and one of Dumbo getting his comeuppance highlight the duo’s comedic talent. What also makes this project successful is the team’s keen understanding of human behavior as viewed through their unconventional comedic minds.
A virtuoso performance and an ode to an undervalued medium created by two talented artists.Pub Date: Nov. 17, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-250-26289-9
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Celadon Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2020
PERSPECTIVES
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis...
Privately published by Strunk of Cornell in 1918 and revised by his student E. B. White in 1959, that "little book" is back again with more White updatings.
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis (whoops — "A bankrupt expression") a unique guide (which means "without like or equal").Pub Date: May 15, 1972
ISBN: 0205632645
Page Count: 105
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1972
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
