Synopses & Reviews
In her stunning second collection, poet Olena Kalytiak Davis confirms her reputation as a breathtaking verbal acrobat, a daredevil on the high wire of life and love. Her deeply personal poems echo everything from nursery rhymes to classics, revealing poetry buried in ordinary speech. Whether remonstrating with a former lover or evoking her young children, the poet who reveals herself here is appealingly vulnerable yet gutsy, by turns blunt and tender. With dexterity and wit she stretches language to the wildest boundaries of poetic possibility: hers is a voice intimate and assured, her observations of the world delivered in love notes addressed to us all.
"did I mention my first kiss was extracted
by someone who never should have been that
lucky?" - From "Keep Some Stuff for Yourself"
Olena Kalytiak Davis's first collection, And Her Soul out of Nothing, was selected by Rita Dove for the Brittingham Prize for poetry. She has been chosen for inclusion in three Best American Poetry anthologies, and has received a Rona Jaffee Foundation Writers' Award and a Pushcart Prize. She lives andwrites in Anchorage, Alaska.
In her second collection of poetry, following the widely celebrated And Her Soul out of Nothing, Olena Kalytiak Davis offers deeply personal and unpredictable poems that echo everything from nursery rhymes to the classics while always revealing the poetry buried in ordinary speech. Whether remonstrating with a former lover or evoking her young children, the poet we encounter here is appealingly vulnerable yet gutsy, and by turns sexually blunt and tender.
With great dexterity and wit Davis stretches language to the wildest boundaries of poetic possibility. Hers is a voice at once intimate and assured, her observations of the world delivered in love notes addressed to us all:
did I mention my first kiss was extracted
by someone who never should have been that
lucky? and how much later I threw
my virginity and, later still, my vanity
away?
probably
"There is such a deep spiritual quest, such a tremendous inner hunger, at the heart of Olena Kalytiak Davis's radically fractured and ironic idiom that I feel as if I have been reading Hopkins through the lens of a shattered postmodern mirror. This convulsive bookat times funny, at times sick at heartrefracts and defends a wondrous light."Edward Hirsch, author of Lay Back the Darkness and On Love
"Olena Kalytiak Davis writes poems of visionary rapture and longing, and of erotic loss and fulfillment. Formally and musically, she is in love with tradition and out to wring its neck. She trusts her own idiosyncrasy and nerve to lead her to what Frost called 'a momentary stay against confusion.'"Tom Sleigh, author of The Dreamhouse
"[These] sonnets and other importunities are completely energized, full of the evidence of the new thing they are. Davis has made herself herself, well beyond a mere style (though there is nothing mere about her style, of which there is plenty)a scary thing (to make yourself yourself), a thing few poets seem to be inclined to do these days. For that alone I bow in her direction."David Rivard, author of Bewitched Playground
Review
"
And Her Soul Out of Nothing is unlike any other collection I can remember reading in recent literature. There is an eerie precision to Davis's work that renders each moment in both its absolute clarity and ultimate fragility." --Rita Dove
Review
"
And Her Soul Out of Nothing is unlike any other collection I can remember reading in recent literature. There is an eerie precision to Davis's work that renders each moment in both its absolute clarity and ultimate fragility." --Rita Dove
Rita Dove - Oline H. Cogdill - Anthony Minghella, director of The English Patient and Cold Mountain - Janet Maslin - Jessica Moyer - Orson Scott Card - L.E. Modesitt, Jr. - Kevin J. Anderson - Katherine Kurtz - David Farland - Simon R. Green - Kevin J. Anderson - L. E. Modesitt, Jr. - David Farland - Nomar Garciaparra, professional baseball player - Dr. Lewis G. Maharam, medical director for the New York City Marathon - Danielle Ofri M.D., Ph.D, author of Singular Intimacies: Becoming a Doctor at B - Theodore Sturgeon - Alison Weir, author of Eleanor of Aquitaine and The Six Wives of Henry VIII - Wilton S. Dillon, Ph.D., senior scholar emeritus, Smithsonian Institution - Spider Robinson - Robert Silverberg - Richard A. Lupoff - Harlan Ellison - George R. R. Martin - Gillian Bradshaw - Neil Walsh - Andrew Leonard - Stephen R. Donaldson - Michael A. Stackpole - Glen Cook - Sharon Sala, New York Times bestselling author of Out of the Dark - Lori Foster, New York Times bestselling author of Say No to Joe? - Kirkus Reviews - Eoin Colfer - John Farris - David Hagberg - W. Michael and Kathleen O' Neal Gear - Lincoln Child - Stephen Coonts - Marilyn Stasio - Wed Lukowsky - Janet Maslin - Harlan Coben, author of No Second Chance - Andrew Klavan, author of True Crimes - Robert B. Parker, author of Back Story - Nelson DeMille, author of Up Country - Lisa Scottoline, author of Dead Ringer - Daniel Silva, author of The Confessor - Ronnie H. Terpening, Univ. of Arizona, Tucson - Kirkus - Martin Arnold - Page Traynor - Brian Lehrer, host of On the Media, National Public Radio - James McBride, author of The Color of Water and Miracle at St. Anna - Kevin J. Anderson - Dorothy Allison - Philip Lopate - Clive Cussler - Jon Winokur - Tony Hillerman - Jonathan Kellerman - W.E.B. Griffin, author of Final Justice - James Carville - Jacqueline Carey - Douglas Brinkley - David Gibson - Anthony Minghella - Fay Weldon - Anthony Minghella, director of The English Patient and Cold Mountain - Antonya Nelson - Jean Thompson - Charles Stross - Spider Robinson - Neal Asher - Karl Schroeder - Elizabeth Bear - Ulick O'Connor - Michael Billington - Michael Coveney - Sir Ian McKellen - Russ Parsons - Philip Pullman - Sara Douglass - Bill Bryson - Barbara Ehrenreich - Kirkus - John Blades - Ellen Kanner - Gilbert Taylor - Jane Brody's "Personal Health" column in The New York Times - Daniel Mallory - Jim Harrison, author of True North - Michael Ondaatje - Karen Karbo - Kristine Huntley - Susan Orlean - John Banville - Anthony Quinn - Gahan Wilson - John Fowles - Neil Walsh - Stephen R. Donaldson - Jacqueline Carey - Glen Cook - Elizabeth Haydon - David Drake - Robert Charles Wilson - Cory Doctorow - Bret Easton Ellis - Candace Bushnell - Dominick Dunne - Jay McInerney - Jonathan Demme, filmmaker - A.O. Scott - Martin Arnold - Steve Kroft, 60 Minutes - J. B. Priestley - Charles de Lint - Dallas Observer - Jennifer Weiner, author of In Her Shoes and Little Earthquakes - Jay Leno - Laura Zigman, author of Animal Husbandry, Dating Big Bird, and Her - Liz Smith - Gillian Engberg - Clarissa Cruz - Jay Strafford - Hallie Ephron - Patrick Anderson - Walter Jon Williams - S. M. Stirling - Connie Willis, Hugo Award-winning author of To Say Nothing of the Dog - Morgan Llywelyn - Jacqueline Carey - George R.R. Martin - Frederick Busch - Anthony Quinn - Gahan Wilson - John Fowles - Paul Di Filippo - Kirkus - Anthony Quinn - Gahan Wilson - John Fowles - Anthony Quinn - Gahan Wilson - John Fowles - Jon Winokur - Neil Walsh - Andrew Leonard - Stephen R. Donaldson - Michael A. Stackpole - Glen Cook - Neil Walsh - Andrew Leonard - Stephen R. Donaldson - Michael A. Stackpole - Glen Cook - Neil Walsh - Stephen R. Donaldson - Jacqueline Carey - Glen Cook - Elizabeth Haydon - David Drake - Dr. Lewis G. Maharam, medical director for the New York City Marathon - Danielle Ofri M.D., Ph.D, author of Singular Intimacies: Becoming a Doctor at B - Jane Brody's "Personal Health" column in The New York Times - Ulick O'Connor - Michael Billington - Michael Coveney - Sir Ian McKellen - Oline H. Cogdill - Kristine Huntley - Oline H. Cogdill - Jay Strafford - Hallie Ephron - Marilyn Stasio - Wed Lukowsky - Spider Robinson - Robert Silverberg - Richard A. Lupoff - Harlan Ellison - George R. R. Martin - Jon Winokur - Alison Weir, author of Eleanor of Aquitaine and The Six Wives of Henry VIII - Dallas Observer - Jennifer Weiner, author of In Her Shoes and Little Earthquakes - Jay Leno - Laura Zigman, author of Animal Husbandry, Dating Big Bird, and Her - Liz Smith - Eoin Colfer - John Banville - W.E.B. Griffin, author of Final Justice - James Carville - Nomar Garciaparra, professional baseball player - Martin Arnold - Ulick O'Connor - Michael Billington - Michael Coveney - Sir Ian McKellen - Bill Bryson - Jon Winokur - J. B. Priestley - Dallas Observer - Jennifer Weiner, author of In Her Shoes and Little Earthquakes - Jay Leno - Laura Zigman, author of Animal Husbandry, Dating Big Bird, and Her - Liz Smith - Ulick O'Connor - Michael Billington - Michael Coveney - Sir Ian McKellen - Jay Strafford - Hallie Ephron - Daniel Mallory - Robert Charles Wilson - Cory Doctorow - Ellen Kanner - Orson Scott Card - L.E. Modesitt, Jr. - Kevin J. Anderson - Katherine Kurtz - David Farland - Janet Maslin - Harlan Coben, author of No Second Chance - Andrew Klavan, author of True Crimes - Robert B. Parker, author of Back Story - Nelson DeMille, author of Up Country - Lisa Scottoline, author of Dead Ringer - Daniel Silva, author of The Confessor - Ronnie H. Terpening, Univ. of Arizona, Tucson - Patrick Anderson - Sharon Sala, New York Times bestselling author of Out of the Dark - Lori Foster, New York Times bestselling author of Say No to Joe? - Janet Maslin - Harlan Coben, author of No Second Chance - Andrew Klavan, author of True Crimes - Robert B. Parker, author of Back Story - Nelson DeMille, author of Up Country - Lisa Scottoline, author of Dead Ringer - Daniel Silva, author of The Confessor - Ronnie H. Terpening, Univ. of Arizona, Tucson - Patrick Anderson - Bill Bryson - Jon Winokur - J. B. Priestley - Dallas Observer - Jennifer Weiner, author of In Her Shoes and Little Earthquakes - Jay Leno - Laura Zigman, author of Animal Husbandry, Dating Big Bird, and Her - Liz Smith - Kirkus Reviews - L.E. Modesitt, Jr. - Kevin J. Anderson - Katherine Kurtz - David Farland - Orson Scott Card - Simon R. Green - Kevin J. Anderson - L. E. Modesitt, Jr. - David Farland - Gilbert Taylor - Karen Karbo - Martin Arnold - Walter Jon Williams - S. M. Stirling - Connie Willis, Hugo Award-winning author of To Say Nothing of the Dog - Morgan Llywelyn - Jacqueline Carey - George R.R. Martin - Paul Di Filippo - Patrick Anderson - John Farris - David Hagberg - W. Michael and Kathleen O' Neal Gear - Lincoln Child - Stephen Coonts - Sara Douglass - Bill Bryson - J. B. Priestley - Dallas Observer - Jennifer Weiner, author of In Her Shoes and Little Earthquakes - Jay Leno - Laura Zigman, author of Animal Husbandry, Dating Big Bird, and Her - Liz Smith - Gilbert Taylor - Jacqueline Carey - Jonathan Demme, filmmaker - A.O. Scott - Philip Pullman - John Blades - Oline H. Cogdill - Page Traynor - James Boylan - Janet L. Nelson - Mavis Reimer - Gail M. Gerhart - Jessica Wang - The Source - Bill Piekarski - Harold W. Jaffe - Jessica Wang - Elizabeth A. Muenger - Megan Cassidy-Welch - Jeffrey Merrick - John Gray - Gilles Kepel - Peter Bergen - Jeffrey Merrick - Paul Corner, Professor of European History, University of Siena - Paul Corner, Professor of European History, University of Siena - Jessica Wang - Jessica Wang - Mavis Reimer - Elizabeth A. Muenger - Norman A. 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Michael Gear, USA Today bestselling authors - Kirkus Reviews - Library Journal - Max Evans - Norman Zollinger - Publishers Weekly - Richard Wheeler - Rocky Mountain News - Tony Hillerman - Tulsa World - The New York Times - Analog - Library Journal - Publishers Weekly - Essence - CNN Money - Chicago Tribune - Philadelphia Inquirer - The Orlando Sentinel - Booklist - Romantic Times - Library Journal - O magazine - Washington Post - Publishers Weekly - The Australian Woman's Weekly - Romantic Times BOOKreviews - Library Journal - Boston Globe - Entertainment Weekly - USA Today - Washington Post - Elle - Esquire - Details - Yoga Journal - Publishers Weekly - Library Journal - VOYA - Time Out New York - Interzone - Library Journal - SF Site - Booklist, starred review - Publishers Weekly, starred review - San Francisco Chronicle - School Library Journal, starred review - Publishers Weekly (starred review) - SF Site - Kirkus - Library Journal - Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) - The New York Times - Entertainment Weekly (A-) - USA Today - People Magazine - New Orleans Times-Picayune - Booklist - Kirkus Reviews - David Morrell, New York Times bestselling author of The Brotherhood of the Rose - Mark Burnett, creator of the television series Survivor - Lisa See, author of Dragon Bones - Lewis Nordan, author of The Sharpshooter Blues - Richard A. Gabriel, author of No More Heroes: Madness and Psychiatry in War - Craig Dirgo, author of The Einstein Papers - Publishers Weekly - Booklist - New York Times Book Review - Library Journal - The Washington Post - The Washington Times - Publishers Weekly - The Tampa Tribune - Booklist - Washington Post Book World - New York Review of Books - Boston Phoenix - Newsday - Boston Globe - The Boston Globe - Booklist - Library Journal - Kirkus Reviews - The New York Review of Books - The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books - The New York Times Book Review - Margaret George, international bestselling author of The Memoirs of Henry VIII - The Newark Star-Ledger - Nelson DeMille, bestselling author of The Lion's Game - W.E.B. Griffin, bestselling author of The Brotherhood of War - Library Journal - The Fort Worth Morning Star-Telegram - Booklist - Kirkus Reviews - The Washington Post - Library Journal - Salon.com - SF Site - The Good Book Guide - Chicago Tribune - Publishers Weekly - Fantasy Review - Houston Post - Publisher's Weekly - The Denver Post - The Providence Sunday Journal - The Washington Post Book World - Australian Bookseller and Publisher - Australian Jewish News - Marie Claire (Australia) - Vogue (Australia) - Edmonton Journal (Canada) - Booklist - Publishers Weekly - Library Journal - Cory Doctorow, author of Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town - Janny Wurts, author of Traitor's Knot - Kevin J. Anderson - Nalo Hopkinson, author of The Salt Roads - Robert J. Sawyer, Hugo Award-winning author - Publishers Weekly - Kirkus - Publishers Weekly - Newark Sunday News - Library Journal - National Review - Library Journal, Starred Review - Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) - Romantic Time Bookclub Magazine - Bookpage - Rocky Mountain News - Booklist - Washington Post - Baltimore Sun - Boston Globe - Chicago Tribune - Los Angeles Times - New York Times Book Review - Booklist - The New York Times - Elle - Kirkus Reviews (starred review) - Miami Herald - People (four stars) - Publishers Weekly - South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Synopsis
In her stunning second collection, poet Olena Kalytiak Davis confirms her reputation as a breathtaking verbal acrobat, a daredevil on the high wire of life and love. Her deeply personal poems echo everything from nursery rhymes to classics, revealing poetry buried in ordinary speech. Whether remonstrating with a former lover or evoking her young children, the poet who reveals herself here is appealingly vulnerable yet gutsy, by turns blunt and tender. With dexterity and wit she stretches language to the wildest boundaries of poetic possibility: hers is a voice intimate and assured, her observations of the world delivered in love notes addressed to us all.
"did I mention my first kiss was extracted
by someone who never should have been that
lucky?" - From "Keep Some Stuff for Yourself"
About the Author
Olena Kalytiak Davis's first collection,
And Her Soul Out of Nothing, was selected by Rita Dove for the Brittingham Prize for poetry in 1997. She has been included in three Best American Poetry anthologies and has received a Rona Jaffee Foundation writers award and a Pushcart Prize. She lives and writes in Anchorage, Alaska.