Sweating It Out

If you want a better understanding of what happened in the wake of George Floyd’s unnecessary death, take a look at Deborah Turner’s unflinching debut collection of poems, Sweating It Out. In Sweating, Turner shows us the work behind discovering and breaking the rules of engagement, whether in community, family, love, or sports. Each poem, at face value, plays in a different arena—basketball, softball, tennis. Yet collectively, they stand as evidence revealing how the strength needed for real life has its roots in play. Hallowed traditions like call and response ("Double Dutch") and the blues ("Coming Down") score throughout Sweating. The mid-way poem, "Time Out," offers a thought-provoking break. But in the end, the triumphant "When I Rise" gives hope to anyone still struggling and a testament to those whose early struggles to cultivate change ("Juneteenth") make it possible to keep playing. Early praise for this original and fresh collection of sports poetry describes Turner’s work as a model and mentor text, and true to form you can find her own reading and discussion guide and more about her and her works at www.deborahturner.online. Poetry readers are alert for ways to make the complex and distressing accessible and understandable. 2020 is awash with questions, uncertainty, and change. Let Sweating It Out help you work through your questions.