Rae Armantrout

I accept that there's no objectivity in this review whatsoever. I like poems that are smart, that I can think about, and that actually give me something to think about--and that aren't simply reports of some asshat's emotions at time x and place y. Voila. Armantrout does it.

The best science communicators give their lay audiences points of entry into complex subjects at the same time as honoring that complexity. Poetry too has an appearance of complexity, often to the point of intimidating lay readers. That the poems in Rae Armantrout's chapbook Entanglements gives us approachable but multi-layered and considered examinations of concepts particle physics in everyday contexts speaks to both her power as a poet and her ability to communicate the intricacies of show more scientific concepts. The results are compelling poems that allow readers to see themselves as part of the forces we don't consider day-to-day. Highly recommended for readers of poetry, science, and science fiction. show less

I am inclined to say that I enjoyed this work even more than Versed, the collection for which she won the Pulitzer Prize and the only other book of hers I have read. She moves somewhat further from the obtuse aims of language poetry into more accessible emotional/intellectual terrain here, but her roots remain, though I think a balance has been struck (to some degree) that is advantageous for readers who don't quite "get" language poetry. Armantrout is a skilled poet, and if don't believe show more that, ask yourself who else could make Flo from Progressive Insurance into a weighty poetic subject. show less

Armantrout forces the reader to redefine their relationship with language. At first, reading Armantrout is a lover's quarrel, but after awhile it turns into really good make up sex. She utilizes the power of sounds and their connotations, of stolen phrases overheard on the street, and turns them into poetic collages to be questioned and pondered. Even when dealing with very personal themes, such as her battle with cancer, Armantrout approaches such material through a shocking and fresh show more paradigm of language that is in turns both detached and playful. An interesting and challenging poet. Her work will be seen by many as quite confusing (maybe even nonsensical), but it deserves a level of contemplation from the reader equal to the amount of perplexity it births. show less