I had the privilege of attending a fantastic reading by poet and nonfiction writer, Danielle Cadena Deulen. I just finished teaching her lovely book, Lovely Asunder, and it's definitely worth checking out. I especially admire her lyricism and stylistic range and based on my students' responses, they really dug it, too. Need proof? Here's a sample poem:
I Want You Dangerously
by Danielle Cadena Deulen
open. But I am a woman, so cannot
open you the way I would if (at the hinge
of your spine, the tight latch
of your knees) I had a key, or hammer. I mean
no violence, just as good men
never mean violence,
but still I tremor, tremor. Your mouth
a ruin—your eyes like the dark ascending
wings of a bird—
I watch magpies destroy
the nests of sparrows. Pillage.
Plunder. If I were a Viking, I'd take you
home, my only and best prize.
I'd marry you to my bones.
Oh, tell me you want my
burnt sage, saltwater scent—my barricade
across the roads of your body—or tell me
to leave you the fuck alone, and I'll go
further inland, like a lenient
hurricane—all of your beautiful
levies intact.
She has a great sense of humor, too, and gave a very insightful talk to our graduate and undergraduate students. Oh, I should also add that her fiance, Max Stinson, happens to be a fantasy fan so we were able to geek out and talk about George Martin, Raymond Feist, Robert Jordan, etc. Poetry and fantasy in one night? I never would have thought it possible!
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