Reviews

This innovative late-modernist poetry was what Mottram called “the British Poetry Revival.” It was manifested through reading series, through particular magazines and small presses, and through independent bookshops. There were hubs in London, Cambridge, Brighton, and Newcastle, but it was not restricted to these places. The British Poetry Revival was never formalised as a group and did not have a distinctive “style.” Rather it was marked by a wide range of styles (including sound and visual poetries) and was open to a wide range of experimentation. 

A month or so ago, having my thirteenth collection of poems in the designer’s hands, I felt queasy about the possibility of writing new poems because of a fear of repeating myself and doubts about whether I could do anything different. Then I read Charles Bernstein’s The Kinds of Poetry I Want: Essays & Comedies.

The political bent of the launch was apt; although In Inheritance of Drowning begins with Hurricane María, Smith Silva’s verse traverses the Atlantic Ocean to visit the Puerto Rican diaspora, address America’s history of colonialism, enslavement, and genocide, and draw poetic connections between climate change, American imperialism, and the intersections between social and environmental justice.

“Documentary poetics is often lauded for its ability to articulate social injustices and advocate for civil rights,” writes award-winning poet Craig Santos Perez.^[1] Two poetry collections published last year harness this ability and mine the African American archive to shine a light on evidence of past injustices in the hopes of a better future.

Siwar Masannat is a Jordanian writer, poet, educator, and editor currently based in Milwaukee. cue, Masannat’s second book of poetry, emerges from her engagement with Akram Zaatari’s project Hashem El Madani: Studio Practices, which brought El Madani’s compelling photographs of community members in Saida, Lebanon, to a global audience.