Rattle #54, Winter 2016 by The Rattle Foundation

Rattle #54, Winter 2016 Reviews

• 
  Narmeen

  "But it's true, I don't know what that means. I don't know in that part of the head that knows. But that's not necessarily the part of the head that makes the poem. because the poem comes out of all this emotional and physical stuff that's really outside the purview of words. What moves us as human beings. I think poetry very directly taps into that; I think of it almost as a kind of music that allows us to exist in the chaos of our lives. Poetry is the art that is closest to music, and I think it always aspires to the condition of music in some way."
  - Meena Alexander

  
  
  That has always been one of the questions I think about when I dive into writing poetry or creating videos to express myself, to make myself feel better; whether the idea/words I'm writing are intentional or just happen to fall into place perfectly with the image that I choose to write or film.
  Glad to know, there are others who feel this way and I take comfort in her words, that this coincidence of aligned imagery I experiment upon, doesn't make me an accidental artist but maybe just an aspiring one?
  
  I can't pick any favorites as almost all of them are brilliantly written and very meaningful.
  LOVE, LOVE, LOVE.
• 
  Vin

  I'm a year late in reading these 3 issues (# 51, 53, 54), but there's a timelessness nestled within the now-in-a-nutshell. With emphasis on family, self-doubt, and global unrest poems by Tracy May Fuad, Alan King, Arash Saedinia, Alison Carb Sussman, Inez Tan, and Sung Yim (#54) struck me with the most force. I also related squeamishly to Noah Baldino's poem about being trans and seeking routine medical care, though I had to vote for Ingrid Jendrzejewski's poem Superposition of States as runner up for the Reader's Choice award. The Tribute to Adjuncts #53 was kind of depressing. I guess I avoid knowing what higher education is really about by not participating in it. Yeah, I'm an escapist rube. And I expected The Feminist Poets #51 to be a lot more depressing, but there were some delightful moments that weren't all about childbirth and the unbearable sadness of being female. (F. Bell, H. Bell, L. Baird, J. Steiner, L. Summe, K. Barret Swett)
• 
  Sanaa Hyder

  An excellent collection of poems including the Rattle Poetry Prize Winner and the Finalists.
  
  My favourites:
  1. Plumes by Arash Saedinia, describing the plumes of smoke in war zones like Gaza.
  2. Anhedonic Woman by Alison Carb Sussman: on her personal struggle with body image, ending the poem with this lovely line "I want the stars. They ask for nothing and give nothing in return."
  3. Laurel by Inez Tan: being envious of trees as non-judemental glorious living things.
  4. Veins by Julie Price Pinkerton: Comparing ageing and dementia and realizing ageing while still being healthy is better than infection-ridden dementia.
  5. Upon Receiving My Inheritance by William Fargason: about his struggle with arthritis, full of sass.
  6. Superposition of States by Ingrid Jendrzejewski: comparing her miscarriage with Schrödinger's cat, possibly the most moving and thoughtfully crafted thing I've read in a really long time.
  7. Thanksgiving in the Anthropocene, 2015 by Craig Santos Perez: A thanksgiving feast poem which makes you think about the world we live in - our new and improved farming techniques, kindness, religion and our cultural origins. Really cool poem.
• 
  Julie

  I liked this one even better than the last one. I wasn't expecting the free chapbook, so that was just icing on the cake!
  I'm excited to vote for the runner-up winner. I've narrowed it down to three, but it wasn't easy. These poems are excellent, and having to choose has given me all new respect for Poetry Editors.
  The one not in the contest which spoke to me the most was Shriven by Chera Hammons.
• 
  Janel D. Brubaker

  Brilliant collection of poems.
• 
  Belinda Rule

  Fave: Marjorie Saiser, Final Shirt. A concise, potent poem about grief, as evoked by a single image.
  
  I'm sorry to say, a lot of work in this reads to me as chopped, overly expository memoir. I would have preferred to read these pieces as essay-length memoir, where there would be room for scene rather than just summary. What I mean by chopped memoir is there is a lack of original language, original imagery or attention to rhythm. There can be floridly irregular formatting choices attempting to dramatise dull and humdrum language. Conversely there can be overtly regularised structures that are without apparent relationship to content - again with humdrum language. Exposition and speechifying often prohibit vividness. Sometimes I felt I was stuck listening to a stranger's wedding speech - I'm happy for you but I'm not the audience and am cringing.