Julie Brooks Barbour of Border Crossing, a thoughtfully curated journal in whose 2014 issue I’m proud to have a poem, has written a generous and poignant review of my chapbook, The Normal Heart and How It Works. One thing I love about poetry is the community of discourse it opens up around itself, whether in a workshop setting or, more formally, in reviewing work by other poets. If Shelley says that poetry “makes familiar objects be as if they are not familiar,” then surely reviews of one’s own poetry are just as eye-opening, just as transformative. Just as capable of showing us ourselves through another’s eyes, whether or not those selves are people we choose to accept and know.
Julie’s newest book, Beautifully Whole, is bound to be lovely and is available for pre-order from Hermeneutic Chaos Press.
Rachael Lyon 