Something Bright, Then Holes

November 19, 2007
Nelson's newest collection continues the genre dodging of her second poetry collection, Jane: A Mystery
. Narrative, sentimental and self-indulgent, this third collection risks many possible poetic pitfalls and comes through unscathed through sheer intensity of and commitment to her voice. Over three sections, Nelson employs a consistent narrator, recognizable settings, recurring characters and a few structures closely resembling plots. But it's not fiction. And though each section also has lines, stanzas, and lyric musicality, it's “poetry” only in a very loose sense. Instead, it's a stunning collection of real-world stories shadowed by the netherworld of poetry: “The hippie tells us his dog/ has terrible luck. A week ago/ it fell into a silo; yesterday/ it got electrocuted while peeing/ on a pole. We don't really know/ how to respond. The sky is amazing/tonight, full of blurry swans.”

February 1, 2008
Any lover of poetry will notice the commonality of modern collections as poets craft themes to bind their prose. In her fifth collection, Nelson follows the trend but does something equally exciting and unexpectedshe composes poems that can stand alone. In telling the story of a blind girl's intimate description of a hand, Nelson relays the universal tale of ceaseless longing, but the reader often has to place the book down not only to contemplate the gravity of her bravura phrases but also to enjoy the beauty of her descriptions: "Two Rastas/ have parked at the edge to play/ loud music, but even they/ can't compete with the wind." The wonder is that Nelson does not attempt to write with scholarly verses but with the raw emotion indicative of narrative poetry. In "Evensong," Nelson captures the essence of her work: "I know I could read your poems/ in the dark, but I am allowed only one/ a day, and even that's/ too much." Recommended for all libraries.Ashanti White, Atlanta

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