The Branches, the Axe, the Missing began in a way that scared me. I knew it was going to be a long poem. And I knew that it wanted me to research. A lot. The first lines spoke to our evolutionary beginnings sitting around a fire: "What small mammals / did we roast in the fire? / What first story did we / tell?" I wondered what
was that first story and that question led to when did we first acquire language. But besides all that, I wondered how this topic related to my own personal story. The poem took about one year of research, book-ended by two three-week writing residencies where I did nothing but work on the poem. The result is now in my hands. Here is a recent review by Tawnysha Greene that talks about the chapbook better than I ever could:
http://www.sundresspublications.com/stirring/pence.htm
Speaking of reviews, if you'd like to see more of them, please check out my new
web site that replaces this blog.
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