Katie Ford’s Blood Lyrics and Edward Hirsch’s Gabriel: A Poem were among my favorite poetry collections of 2014, and both work on the same heartrending theme: the loss, or potential loss,… Read more “Two Ways to Lose a Child”
Category: Books
A Review of Felicity: Poems by Mary Oliver
Mary Oliver’s newest collection of poetry is a simple one, and as lovely and as gently insightful as we’ve come to expect from one of our greatest… Read more “A Review of Felicity: Poems by Mary Oliver”
A Review of Rules for Werewolves by Kirk Lynn
I am a sucker for improvised families in fiction. Vagrants who have each other’s backs, college kids who celebrate the holidays together instead of going home even… Read more “A Review of Rules for Werewolves by Kirk Lynn”
A Review of Application for Release from the Dream by Tony Hoagland
In his newest poetry collection, Application for Release from the Dream (Graywolf Press), Tony Hoagland comes across as a bit of a cranky old cuss, but instead of waving… Read more “A Review of Application for Release from the Dream by Tony Hoagland”
A Review of Ball: Stories by Tara Ison
There is a sickness at the heart of Ball, Tara Ison’s first short story collection, one she pokes at in each of the collection’s eleven tales until it… Read more “A Review of Ball: Stories by Tara Ison”
A Review of Stay: Prose Poems by Kathleen McGookey
Stay. In Kathleen McGookey’s new prose poetry collection of that title (Press 53) the word has several meanings. In the book’s dealings with grief and the loss of loved… Read more “A Review of Stay: Prose Poems by Kathleen McGookey”
A Review of Mary Karr’s The Art of Memoir
Mary Karr is the unassuming master of the modern memoir. Her three offerings–1995’s The Liar’s Club, 2005’s Cherry, and 2009’s Lit–are adored by readers and were roundly praised by critics. Her… Read more “A Review of Mary Karr’s The Art of Memoir”
A Review of Mark Vanhoenacker’s Skyfaring: A Journey with a Pilot
The most remarkable aspect of Mark Vanhoenacker’s fascinating new book Skyfaring: A Journey with a Pilot is not his lovely gift with words–that is merely what makes it… Read more “A Review of Mark Vanhoenacker’s Skyfaring: A Journey with a Pilot”
A Review of Rachel B. Glaser’s Paulina & Fran
I spent the first chapter of Rachel B. Glaser‘s new novel Paulina & Fran(Harper Perennial, 2015) laboring under the misguided belief I needed to like its characters.… Read more “A Review of Rachel B. Glaser’s Paulina & Fran”
A Review of Cult of Loretta by Kevin Maloney
“When they barged into the bathroom and found us, the joke was on them. They were just men with radios calling for backup. We were simian angels… Read more “A Review of Cult of Loretta by Kevin Maloney”
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