A.M. Hayden, Kristin Lueke, Kaitlin Neal
Let me tell you about three books I love by A.M. Hayden, Kristin Lueke, & Kaitlin Neal
About the reviewer: Rachel Turney is a former art reviewer for New City Magazine. She is currently the writer in residence at NKollectiv and hosts the Trident Women’s Writing Group. Rachel is a poetry mentor with AWP. She runs Poetry (in Brief), an online reading series and magazine. She is a staff writer for Bareback Magazine and a poetry reader for The Los Angeles Review. She is the author of two books: Record Player Life (the b-side) and Retired Wannabe Club Kid. Sign up for her newsletter and learn more on the website.
rabbit head gut by kaitlin neal
shadow and sax press
Lines from the collection presented as writing prompts:
snow-dewed dirt - “LandLocked”
I try to hold It/ but my hands grow sharp instead. - “The Imagery of Eating Oneself”
the rabbits burrow in my heart. - “At the Attempts of Painting a Snow Moon”
One of my favorite pieces is “The Coffee Table” with this line about the chairs around the table: “he got them for a family/ no longer seated.”
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How to Tie Tobacco by A.M. Hayden
wild-ink publishing
If you have family lineage or ties to the South (like I do), you’ll be able to smell Irish Spring, taste fried okra, and feel the weight of matriarchal sadness when you read How to Tie Tobacco. Like Hayden’s other works that I have read, this collection combines poetry and history into an essential tale of the American South through the often overlooked lens of women. It feels like a book every woman should read and write about the histories of our lineage and the struggles of our ancestors. “Who lives; who dies; who tells our stories?” - Hamilton, the musical. If you are thinking of doing genealogy research or biographical writing, I recommend this book as a guide and companion.
Stand out pieces: “Family Tree” and “Holy Waters”
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here I show you a human heart by kristin lueke
A review presented as two personal connections: Because I went to high school in Hungary and drank my fair share (and then some) of palinka, I can easily say I was most drawn to the poem “while picking plums,” which serves as a deconstruction of the fermentation process and life to a rebuilding of history and fruit.
A sucker for short poems, I was delighted to find that the titular line isn’t the title of a poem, but (I believe) is presented as a poem itself in this book. Yeah! Give me just one line to chew on and mull over - I love that.
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A note from Rachel: I am looking for folks to review my two books with small presses, too! Record Player Life (the b-side) and Retired Wannabe Club Kid. If you can write a review for me and help spread the word about my collections, please email me (contact info on website) for a free digital review copy. Thank you. The books are also for sale here: TURNEYTALKS.COM
