READ THIS: In The Ice House Poems by Genevieve Kaplan
As much as I love poetry, it's rare for me to get a chance to sit down and enjoy some. We all get so caught up in reading popular novels, so it's nice to take a break and appreciate poetry. Genevieve Kaplan's poetry is poetry I do truly appreciate! Kaplan is currently pursuing a PhD in literature and creative writing, edits and anthologizes numerous poetry anthologies, and has appeared in many different publications. Her book, In The Ice House is very telling of her talent in writing poetry. It was even a winner of the A Room of Her Own Foundation's 2009 To the Lighthouse Poetry Publication Prize! Kaplan's In the Ice House offers poetic insight on domestic life and the physical world that surrounds it. Her poems reveal a world that is most atmospheric and wondrous, filled with images that radiate heat and ice. Words such as "the ice cuts in the quick of things" sends such a chill in my body with its visuality. This is Kaplan's first collection of poetry and I can't wait to read more!
Honestly, I do not pick up books of poetry to read. I don't easily connect to poetry nor do I always understand it. I also have to admit, that In The Ice House was a surprising experience for me. The author is clearly brilliant and has a way with words.The poems make you think. Whenever you think you have it all figured out, there is a twist. I loved that aspect of this book the best. Everyone should read this. It is enjoyable and a great way to think about poetry. I highly recommend this book.
Poetry has always been one of the things I love to read and wished I could write. When reading In The Ice House by Genevieve Kaplan, I was so moved by her writing. Her words are so simple, yet have such deep meaning. She challenges you to look at the ordinary things around you in different ways. She moves so flawlessly between internal desires and external observations. One thing I noticed was how many of the poems in Ms. Kaplan's collection have the same title, but are sporadically placed throughout the collection. It is as if they are a continuation of each other. They were strategically placed throughout, I think, to help explain the other poems. I wanted to keep reading. Without giving away too much, I feel this is a must read! I know I will be recommending Ms Kaplan's poetry to many of my friends.
Red Hen Press, in their quest to "support diversity", gives us a slim volume of contemporary poetry, "In the Ice House". The poems are crystallized moments, as written by Genevieve Kaplan. "West Coast Literature," as called by the Los Angeles Review may differ from East coast authors. Variety in all ways is a dictum most readers subscribe to, and so it shall be with poetry. For this West Coast author's first volume, Ms. Kaplan gives us gems. Her point of view resonates in quiet ways. "I was captured here by the way you made me believe I ought to be". As a reader, you'll be captured and captivated by her poetry. Her West Coast reality steeps every page with nature. As the title may indicate, ice is a frequent visitor to these pages. Her quiet storms reflect her day-to-day thoughts in a fashion that belies the fact that many of these poems have been published in different and varied places. The flow of "In the Ice House" is a continuum, with Ms. Kaplan's voice well poised on each page. A slim volume for a steamy summer, "Ice House" will keep you cool.
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In the ice house
Poems by
Genevieve Kaplan
Genevieve Kaplan’s In the ice house offers an innovative meditation on domestic life and the physical world that surrounds it, chronicling “at least the beginnings of some disaster” taking place in a landscape that “had no symmetry.” Her poems reveal an atmospheric and wondrous world filled with odd and compelling images. The poet’s insistent evocation of elemental images—the birds, the ice, the water—becomes almost incantatory, as the speaker seeks escape from “the frantic outside” she’s trapped within. Kaplan’s sky “has the depth / of an ocean,” and this book deeply articulates how “silence is the only word that can replace loss.” Moving artfully between internal desires and incisive observations of the external, these stunning poems radiate with both heat and ice.
In the ice house
Poems by Genevieve Kaplan
ISBN: 978-1-59709-462-7
6 x 7; Tradepaper
88 pages
Price: US $16.95
Scheduled Release: October 1, 2011
Biographical note:
Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Genevieve Kaplan is a graduate of UC Santa Cruz and the Iowa Writers Workshop. She currently lives in Southern California where she is pursuing a PhD in Literature and Creative Writing. She is the founding editor of the Toad Press International Chapbook Series, which publishes literary translations, and a co-editor of The Loudest Voice: Volume 1 anthology. Her poems and essays have been published in numerous journals, including Jubilat, Gulf Coast, Jacket, Copper Nickel, Fence, and Northwest Review. In the ice house is her first book of poetry.
