“Speech,” by Edward Manzi doesn’t give us much, but there is a slightly tongue-in-cheek aspect to this tiny little gem of a prose poem. The poem is ostensibly about speech, but it’s really about much more. Manzi’s poem is about…
There’s a dream-like quality to Ian Powell-Palm’s “Self-Portrait.” It’s hard to pin down precisely what about this poem is so arresting, but the tone, the mood, the state of mind—all of these swirling, intangible and ephemeral characteristics manage to haunt…
“I think, Oh my goodness that’s the voice of a god,” writes Liz Davis in “Stars as my soul,” which takes us on a journey from the speaker’s childhood in the 90s all the way to what is presumably present…
Smriti Bhoker brings a levity to her poem, which easily could turn dark, as she taps into the well of fear that lives in every writer’s heart—what if we find ourselves suddenly unable to write? It goes beyond writer’s block…
Sim’s use of the characters in the title of her poem are contributing to an ongoing debate in the world of contemporary poetry, and particularly concerning Asian and Asian-American poets. Writers like Cathy Linh Che were some of the first…
New Voices is taking a hiatus this week, since everyone is having the time of their life at AWP. If you’re stuck at home and feeling the FOMO, you’re in luck! Our New Voices contributor Angela Sim (whose poem, “무인도”…
Welcome to LINE LEVEL: Craft Lessons from Poets of Color, a monthly column in which writer, editor, and educator Joanna Acevedo zooms in on an element of craft from the work of BIPOC poets. LINE LEVEL unfolds in three parts:…
In the wake of current political developments, Katie Kemple’s “COBRA,” feels a little too close to home. Kemple describes a scary reality, one a little too close to home for many, making decisions that seem trivial—which kind of beans or…
It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for. We made a list, we checked it twice. It was the 2024 Debut Chapbook Contest. So we checked it thrice. There were some difficult decisions, and some amazing manuscripts. Our incredible team…
Emily Adams-Aucoin’s “Bedtime Aubade,” is brimming with intimacy as we peek into the terror and beauty of new motherhood. There’s something scary about the way that Adams-Aucoin describes the love she feels for her child, but there’s also something magical,…
