Gregory Pardlo

I enjoyed this collection a lot, though I also think a lot of it went over my head. It is dense, his wordplay and just his use of language are incredible. The prologue, explaining the title, was appreciated and also relevant to various poems in the collection.

Pardlo moves from Tituba to MOVE to documents with no additional commentary, to performances and drugs, and Bernini's Teresa. Somehow these different topics make a coherent whole.

My favorites from the collection:
• Narratio--very show more short, magnificent wordplay
• Question and Answer--at a poetry reading
• Tall Poppies--Genocide, Opium, Oxycontin, more genocide
• Beauty School Wig Head: The Marion Devotions--a longer poem that takes on painting, photography, and more show less

A powerful collection of diverse poems which is justly deserving of all the acclaim it has garnered. I especially enjoyed the occasional series of poems linked together by a common thread, One series of poems, for instance, begins with each one being kick started by a quote from a famous historical personage (St. Augustine, for instance) In fact. Mr. Pardlo's poems are effectively drenched with historical references. I love the way Pardlo gives deeply of himself in each well constructed verse.

Funny, sad memoir of the life and times of a poet's dysfunctional family. Gregory Pardlo, author of the Pulitzer Prize winning book of poetry, Digest, has interesting and insightful reflections throughout, related to family, to society, and to literature.

2018