Poets & Writers

Mario Chard

Tupelo Press (Dorset Prize)

What is your name? they said.
I am nameless I said.
Yes they said.
—from “Renditions”

HOW IT BEGAN: I wanted to write poems about migration, war, parenthood, and childhood. But without authority beyond attention or observation, I wrote through personal implication. Migration is still thecould, this afternoon, buy the first flight out to . And that, for me, proves the myth of borders: not of sovereignty or nationality, but the myth of their permanence, their precedence. How we often confuse what was given, found, or taken with what is owed, native, or heritage. The book was a reflection of my desire to understand why.

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from Poets & Writers

Poets & Writers3 min read
The Time Is Now
Suggested Reading: Truth Is the Arrow, Mercy Is the Bow: A DIY Manual for the Construction of Stories (Zando, April 2024) by Steve Almond Three decades of writing and teaching culminate in this new craft book by Steve Almond, the author of a dozen bo
Poets & Writers3 min read
Reactions
Feedback from readers “Earth: Ground Yourself in Purpose” (January/February 2024) by Laura Spence-Ash caught my attention and my heart. I related most especially to her recounting of feedback she received in a workshop that nearly derailed her writin
Poets & Writers5 min read
Hey, Jealousy
I AM HERE to tell you about the time I rage-puked with envy over another author’s success. When my first novel came out in summer 2011, I knew very few other writers, so the ones I met that year became not only my instant friends, but also—it was ine

Related Books & Audiobooks