Interrobang
“Jessica Piazza’s brilliantly conceived debut collection,Interrobang, is a stunning sequence of (primarily) sonnets that unfolds with both a mature formal acuity and a profound philosophical sophistication. It is an absolute tour de force. These poems emerge as reflections of a kaleidoscopic self as they interrogate those fears and desires that drive and haunt us. Whatever the answers might be to these exclamatory questions, the speaker of these beautiful and troubling poems knows she has only one response available to her—to continue regardless, and to persevere.”—David St. John “Jessica Piazza leaps fully-armed from the head (and heady tradition) of linguistic-trickster poets like Father Hopkins and Heather McHugh.Interrobanghits the ground running, lobbing bolts of syntactical lightning, taking the reader hostage to the most dazzling radical harmonies—a word-music that shakes us awake, powers new insights—stands us on the very edge of a rock ‘n’ roll minefield, waving a white flag. We give in! We got it! This is great poetry!”—Carol Muske-Dukes “What an ear, here! Jessica Piazza’s poems are such etched, alive word sculptures, crystal prism poems of love and longing and punch.”—Aimee Bender“Jessica Piazza is an heir of Hopkins, a poet engaging generously in metaphysical struggle. In this unusually deft book, she sets out to offer her voice on the altar of iambic pentameter and shares the fears she encounters there with quirky, firm metrical dexterity and breathtakingly succinct wit.Interrobangis a serious accomplishment.”—Annie Finch “Interrobangthrums gorgeously—each page is full-throated and sexy. It’s a yearning yo-yo, a gemlike cutting through our loves and fears. It is a book rabid with life. Piazza’s razor-sharp collection weaves and knots the unknowable with a jubilance and wit too rare in contemporary poetry.Interrobangis fantastic debut collection.”—Alex Lemon, author ofHappy: A MemoirandFancy Beasts“Many of these poems are brave and sensuous, and it’s refreshing to see Piazza capturing not so much her shifting emotions as her understanding of them…Promising work from a writer worth watching.” —Barbara Hoffert,Library Journal