Italics
Italics is a collection of poems that makes no attempt to hide what it believes: that each living thing is a school unto itself; that our existence is a factual miracle; that our lives are our most important sermons; that the right words in the right order can nudge the world a little. Alison Davis reminds us that darkness is part of the […]
Seed Corn Must Not Be Ground
While Pat Browne was waiting to be born, her mother descended into madness. Living under non-negotiable requirements of perfection and cleanliness, Pat and her four younger siblings faced rules and expectations that opposed all notions “of the perfect Catholic family,”– the desired outward illusion. Sleeping perfectly still “like pieces of paper slipped into an envelope” […]
Devil’s Backbone
Julie L. Moore’s Devil’s Backbone is a fearless, morally urgent reckoning with American history, white supremacy, and the self. Moore confronts inherited cruelties, national hypocrisy, and personal responsibility with unflinching honesty, confessing that she is “more than / complicit” as “a fragile, white / woman” who would like to “carve [herself] out of this story but can’t.” Though the poet realizes she has “no tool / to make the crooked path straight” and “can’t stop the killing,” her resonant diction, controlled […]
Life Amplified
At forty-six years old, Lila begins living life at a higher frequency. The world feels different to her, the grass looks greener, the flowers smell more fragrant. Her life view has changed. She founds an art foundation in her community. Lila was unrecognizable two years prior, when her world felt like it was crashing in […]