November 2024

Matthew E. Henry

said the Frog to the scorpion
Harbor Editions, 2024
$18

Playlist:

Matthew E. Henry is reading four poems from his latest collection said the Frog to the scorpion:

“pop quiz for March 19, 2018”
“what i learned during Black History Month”
“when asked why I don’t teach elementary school”
“the patron saint of suicide.”

said the Frog to the scorpion explores how being a Black teacher in a predominately white educational system and being in romantic relationships with unstable partners can exemplify having unrealistic expectations in toxic situations.

Megan Merchant

Hortensia, in winter
New American Press, 2024
$18

Playlist:

Hortensia, in winter transports readers on a powerful journey through the lives of women bound by blood, history, and the weight of silence. With her deft hand, Merchant weaves a rich tapestry of personal and collective histories, inviting us to linger in the quiet spaces between loss and discovery. Hortensia, in winter is a breathtaking exploration of what it means to seek and find oneself in the voices of those who came before.

Poems read:
“Invocation”
“Sealing”
“Nauvoo, Interior Temple Burned By An Arsonist-1846”
“Eye, Barb, Throat, Gap”

Kelly R. Samuels

Oblivescence
Red Sweater Press, 2024
$18

Playlist:

Oblivescence is a new collection of poetry by Kelly R. Samuels in which a daughter processes her relationship with her mother as the latter struggles with dementia due to Alzheimer's.

Poems read:
“The Alpha Privative”
“Misspoke”
“Oblivescence”
“Sugar, like the Delphinium”
“Deep Sleep” "

Samuels’ inquiries into accumulation and crumbling—as delicate as they are stoic—give these poems a hallowed feel. The collection serves as poet’s observation and daughter’s plea..." -Allison Adair