"Kyle Potvin is a brave, smart poet. Brave enough to take on difficult and downright frightening subject matter, and smart enough to know when and how formal verse can provide a safe structure for doing just that. Whether evoking loss through the memory of a dead loved one or dancing literally and figuratively with a child in the dark, these poems are haunted by cancer, persistent as a wave. Through sonnets, villanelles, and free-verse, Potvin dares take on tumors, chemo, and a woman with hairless head; on the highway, she takes on cancer itself, riding in the car behind her. Even sphere-shaped fruit inspires a certain angst, until 'hope travels / Like sound on water.' Bravo for this poet who fears love might be lost like a glove slipped from a pocket, but savors the idea of her life’s last bite, be it carrots or cream or a T-bone steak. 'I’ll take what you bring,' she dares this world, 'And devour each bite.'" --Meg KearneyMeg Kearney lives in New Ipswich, NH. Her latest novel-in-verse for teens is The Girl in the Mirror (Persea Books 2012); her most recent book for adults, Home By Now, won the PEN New England LL Winship Award for Poetry in 2010.
This post is part of our celebration of National Poetry Month 2013 for which I asked New Hampshire poets and booksellers to recommend books of poetry by Granite State poets. These titles are generally available from local booksellers and may be held in public libraries as well.
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