Synopses & Reviews
For Kimiko Hahn, the language and imagery of science open up magical possibilities for the poet. In her haunting eighth collection inspired by articles from the weekly “Science” section of the New York Times, Hahn explores identity, extinction, and survival using exotic tropes drawn from the realms of astrophysics, mycology, paleobotany, and other rarefied fields. With warmth and generosity, Hahn mines the world of science in these elegant, ardent poems.
from “On Deceit as Survival”
Yet another species resembles
a female bumble bee,
ending in frustrated trysts—
or appears to be two fractious males
which also attracts—no surprise—
a third curious enough to join the fray.
What to make of highly evolved Beauty
bent on deception as survival—
Review
"These sharp, gut-punching lyrics quote from and/or borrow the diction of science writing in order to investigate more personal issues . . . but the real thrill comes not from Hahn's personal revelations but from the ways they dovetail so surprisingly with contemporary scientific observations.... This may be Hahn's best book to date." Publishers Weekly
Review
"She is a superb lyric poet." Gerald Stern
Synopsis
from On Deceit as Survival Yet another species resembles a female bumble bee ending in frustrated trysts or appears to be two fractious male which also attracts no surprise a third curious enough to join the fray What to make of highly evolved Beaut bent on deception as survival"
Synopsis
from "On Deceit as Survival"
Yet another species resembles
a female bumble bee,
ending in frustrated trysts--
or appears to be two fractious males
which also attracts--no surprise--
a third curious enough to join the fray.
What to make of highly evolved Beauty
bent on deception as survival--
Synopsis
"[Kimiko] Hahn's frankness . . . allows [these poems] to stand out as starkly fresh as the carnivorous plants she describes."--
About the Author
Kimiko Hahn is the author of eight previous books of poetry, including, most recently, Toxic Flora. She has won an American Book Award, a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Theodore Roethke Award, and a Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Award. She lives in New York and teaches at Queens College, City University of New York.