Tarpaulin Sky Reads Bridget Talone, Hajara Quinn, More

Adam Tedesco is reading some good things for Tarpaulin Sky, including Bridget Talone's new book, The Soft Life (Wonder, 2018); Brad Phillips's Essays and Fictions (Tyrant Books, 2018); Michael Sikkema's You’ve Got a Pretty Hellmouth (Trembling Pillow Press, 2019); Hajara Quinn's Coolth (Big Lucks, 2018); and ... Umberto Eco's On Ugliness (Rizzoli, 2007). From Tedesco on Talone:

Talone’s poetry seems to navigate the paradox of brutality that is inflicted through the prescription of gentility. Here the mystic and sensuous entwine themselves with the hum of violence normalized by patriarchy, mirroring how the codification of much of this violence is undertaken; that is, ensconced in the linguistic softening of manufactured desire.

I was first drawn to this collection by pleasure alone. There is an attention paid to invention and play throughout these poems that leaves this poet-reader both awestruck and envious, and my appreciation has grown even deeper with repeated reading. These poems tread grim territory at times, but Talone’s lyricism keeps a reader connected to the experience, and without being subjected to didacticism.

Read an excerpt from Talone's book, and the rest of the reviews, at Tarpaulin Sky.