Description
Poetry. SCORPYN ODES explores the iconic history of the scorpion in literature and mythology, as animal and constellation, demon, poison and guardian. What may be learned from a species with a four-hundred-million year history? How might evolutionary intelligence be a lens through which to consider various cultural maladies? Verse odes are interspersed with prose departures, and muse upon the many literal and metaphorical connotations of leaving. What must we celebrate, and from what must we depart in order to reaffirm a more sustainable humanity? What is the human equivalent to molting? What happens when disintegration of landscape becomes internalized? What depths of loss do we traverse in a time when toxicity challenges our ability to see our surroundings? How to build a house of hope with the potency to counter symptomatic forgetfulness? This work explores the possibility of "departure" as locomotion or energy source, travel and incantatory momentum.
Author Bio
Laynie Browne's recent books include a collection poems, Translation of the Lilies Back into Lists (Wave Books 2022) and the anthology, A Forest on Many Stems: Essays on The Poet's Novel (Nightboat, 2021). Forthcoming books include LETTERS INSCRIBED IN SNOW (Tinderbox, 2022) and Apprentice to a Breathing Hand (Omnidawn, 2025). Honours include a Pew Fellowship, the National Poetry Series Award and the Contemporary Poetry Series Award. She teaches and coordinates the MOOC Modern Poetry at University of Pennsylvania.
Author City: WALLINGFORD, PA USA