Toxic Flora
Poems
Published on 19. August 2010
Book
Hardback
128 pages
978-0-393-07662-2 (ISBN)
Description
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-
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-
Reviews / Votes
"Starred Review. These sharp, gut-punching lyrics quote from and/or borrow the diction of science writing in order to investigate more personal issues, including the traumas of girlhood, adolescence, and family in general, as well as the intricacies of love... In what may be Hahn's best book to date."More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Dimensions
Height: 218 mm
Width: 150 mm
Thickness: 18 mm
Weight
252 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-393-07662-2 (9780393076622)
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Person
A chancellor of the Academy of American Poets, Kimiko Hahn has published more than ten collections on subjects ranging from Asian American identity and zuihitsu to rarified fields of science. Her honors include a Guggenheim Fellowship, PEN/Voelcker Award, Shelley Memorial Prize, and, most recently, the 2023 Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize for Lifetime Achievement. She teaches in the MFA program for Creative Writing & Literary Translation at Queens College, City University of New York.