Status
Available
Publication
Haymarket Books (2019), 72 pages
Description
This is about what grows through the wreckage. This is an anthem of survival and a look at what might come after. A view of what floats and what, ultimately, sustains. Build Yourself a Boat redefines the language of collective and individual trauma through lyric and memory.
User reviews
LibraryThing member Helenliz
This is a particularly dark collection of poetry. In one poem there's a line about being all edges, all corners and this is certainly not a smooth ride. With topics ranging from rape to suicide, self harm to drowning, don't expect to relax and feel comfortable. I listened to this, as read by the
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poet, and it has something about it that make it hard to stop listening to. Of all the collection, the one that stood out for me as being radically different in tone was titled "Imagine" in which she marvels that her younger sister is going to go to university and study something that could well lead to her being an astronaut. The bemusement that her little sister seems to be set on such a different path and the wonder that this young woman was her little sister is so entirely different from the rest. Show Less
Awards
National Book Award (Longlist — Poetry — 2019)
Lambda Literary Award (Finalist — 2020)
Booklist Editor's Choice: Adult Books (Poetry — 2019)
Language
Original language
English