Monica Sok's A Nail the Evening Hangs On Reviewed by Los Angeles Review

For Los Angeles Review, Brooke Green reviews Monica Sok's debut collection, A Nail the Evening Hangs On. To Green's mind, Sok "writes poetry that delves into questions of identity and individuality in a complex web of memories and relationships. Her speakers, both living and dead, weave a poetry of trauma, diaspora, war and timelessness." More: 

In her poetry, Sok stands both inside and outside of her family’s history and her direct voice rings with imaginative power and grace.  In one of Sok’s most compelling poems, “ABC for Refugees,” a father reads books in English with his daughter, teaching her a language he is still learning.

“Cherub-bee-dee how does a man
who doesn’t read English well know that cherub-bee-dum
those aren’t really words bee-dee
But birds.”

In their children’s book, the nonsense words intermingle with English words to mimic the sound of birds, and we see a transformation of language.

“Birds, what are birds?
Thanks to my father, reading with me, I have more feathers.”

What are feathers? Like words, they protect, but they can also be plucked. Once plucked and utilized, the speaker has the opportunity to name and own what she sees. 

Continue reading at Los Angeles Review.