Anaïs Duplan

How often do I feel compelled to read a book of poetry front to back? This is scary and magnificent creature-y book full of the kind of animal metaphors that ruin your sleep. Sometime it seems Duplan is taking on the whole of poetry and maybe ruining it forever. Thank god. Sometimes it seems she is just battling her MFA workshop and then I wish she’d cut those parts out. I’m not sure bookishness will ever be prissy—or safe—again. Thank god.

Anaïs Duplan writes:

"While I do, of course, feel a sense of accomplishment, growth, belonging, great
fortune, ‘n’ vitality, I also feel a deep ‘n’ abiding sadness.
I try to make space for this sadness here, by I feel there’s a sense to it.
I feel it’s talking to me ‘n’ I need to listen.
I’d rather not."