Poetry. In acclaimed poet Suzanne Buffam's second collection, her unusual range, formal rigor, and imaginative force are on full display as we are introduced to the wry meditations of a literary "irrationalist" who pursues her own poetic logic beyond the bounds of reason. Throughout the collection, in resolutely modern, rueful and eccentric lyrics, Buffam investigates the shifting grounds of knowledge while refusing to take any philosophical authority too seriously. Together, these poems compose a swift, durable, protean argument for the necessity of interior maps in a world that may be on the eve of extinction, but whose darkness is continually illuminated by a pyrotechnics of curiosity, candor, and wit.

Author Hometown: CHICAGO, IL USA



About the author: Suzanne Buffam's first book, Past Imperfect, was published in 2005 by House of Anansi Press. She's the recipient of the Gerald Lampert Memorial Award and the CBC Literary Award for Poetry, and her poems have appeared in Colorado Review, DENVER QUARTERLY, Books in Canada, jubilat, Prairie Schooner, and many other journals. She lives in Chicago, and teaches at the University of Chicago.

Reviews:
Gina Myers in 360 Main Street
audio review: podcast @ Books & Culture
Nora Delaney @ The Critical Flame
Angela Stubbs @ The Nervous Breakdown
Publishers Weekly
John Whalen @ Center for Literary Publishing
Seth Abramson @ The Huffington Post