The Geographer's Wife
“The way magnetism draws the needle of a compass, yearning pulls the poems in this collection through the cardinal directions of a world in which time is not linear but circular, cyclical. Hunger draws lost loved ones to the table, calls lovers away from home and onto the open road. A peculiarly American manifest destiny directs Colonel Sanders to proselytize chicken trinity to the streets, while Raggedy Ann rips her stockings and aches for danger. Quirky characters, popular culture, and memory align here in a topography at once hilarious and haunting. Bart Edelman’sThe Geographer’s Wifeorients the reader in the body as a map of desire, where the individual life becomes a locus of its own, a point from which the world demarcates itself.”—Amy Sage Webb, editor,Flint Hills Review“Bart Edelman’s sixth book,The Geographer’s Wife, is chock-full of stunning, stand-out poems. In ‘Holiday,’ the poet explores the soulful textures of loss present in the first Mother’s Day after his mother has passed. In another, the poet compares modern dating to ‘The New Math,’ a system that has changed so profoundly as to make the addition of romance nearly impossible. In this collection, Bart Edelman is single-minded in his purpose. He takes in the popular language of America—East, North, South, and West—and creates buoyant melodies of ‘coolness,’ a popular verbal chill that also diagnoses our deepest troubles—contemporary isolation and a profound longing for love.”—Todd James Pierce, author ofNewsworld, winner ofthe Drue Heinz Literary Prize“Bart Edelman understands how words should taste, how sounds strung with precision can create a universe of meaning far beyond denotation. These poems are etched into mirrors—transparent, but with surprises built to stand up through reading after reading. You will see your reflection smiling back in recognition on every page. With a cast of characters ranging from acrobats on speed to lumberjacks with wings,The Geographer’s Wifeis an accomplished collection.”—Tom Chandler, Poet Laureate of Rhode Island emeritus“I fell in love on first readingThe Geographer’sWife. It promises and delivers—such riches to follow. Then I met Uncle Irv from ‘The Contiguous 48’ and was taken, forever. In this wonderful and wide-ranging collection of poems, Bart Edelman charts the elusive latitudes and longitudes of desire. With antic humor and often rueful insight, he takes the reader on an emotional journey through time and space. So leave your suitcase and your fears behind, pick up your compass and open the door. Adventure awaits!”—Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey, author ofA Woman of Independent Means