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Spectral Evidence: Poems
A powerful meditation on Blackness, beauty, faith, and the force of law, from the beloved award-winning author of Digest and Air Traffic
Elegant, profound, and intoxicating— Spectral Evidence , Gregory Pardlo’s first major collection of poetry after winning the Pulitzer Prize for Digest , moves fluidly among considerations of the pro-wrestler Owen Hart; Tituba, the only Black woman to be accused of witchcraft during the Salem witch trials; MOVE, the movement and militant separatist group famous for its violent stand-offs with the Philadelphia Police Department (“flames rose like orchids . . . / blocks lay open like egg cartons”); and more.
At times cerebral and at other times warm, inviting and deeply personal, Spectral Evidence compels us to consider how we think about devotion, beauty and art; about the criminalization and death of Black bodies; about justice—and about how these have been inscribed into our present, our history, and the Western “If I could be / the forensic dreamer / . . . / . . . my art would be a mortician’s / paints.”
Elegant, profound, and intoxicating— Spectral Evidence , Gregory Pardlo’s first major collection of poetry after winning the Pulitzer Prize for Digest , moves fluidly among considerations of the pro-wrestler Owen Hart; Tituba, the only Black woman to be accused of witchcraft during the Salem witch trials; MOVE, the movement and militant separatist group famous for its violent stand-offs with the Philadelphia Police Department (“flames rose like orchids . . . / blocks lay open like egg cartons”); and more.
At times cerebral and at other times warm, inviting and deeply personal, Spectral Evidence compels us to consider how we think about devotion, beauty and art; about the criminalization and death of Black bodies; about justice—and about how these have been inscribed into our present, our history, and the Western “If I could be / the forensic dreamer / . . . / . . . my art would be a mortician’s / paints.”
128 pages, Hardcover
First published January 30, 2024
11 people are currently reading
406 people want to read
About the author
Gregory Pardlo
16 books64 followersGregory Pardlo’s first book, Totem, received the American Poetry Review/ Honickman Prize in 2007. His poems have appeared in American Poetry Review, Boston Review, The Nation, Ploughshares, Tin House, as well as anthologies including Angles of Ascent, the Norton Anthology of Contemporary African American Poetry, and two editions of Best American Poetry. He is the recipient of a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship and a fellowship for translation from the National Endowment for the Arts. An associate editor of Callaloo, he is currently a teaching fellow in Undergraduate Writing at Columbia University.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
December 29, 2023
This was an interesting and different poetry collection on the power of fear against the other. All the poems were different, some were genre-bending (one in the form of a play), I didn't vibe with them all but there were a few that stood out to me.
Favorite poems: "confutation", "The Marion Devotions", "Trigger Warning", "Spectral Evidence".
Thanks to NetGalley, Knopf, and Gregory Pardlo for a free ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.
Favorite poems: "confutation", "The Marion Devotions", "Trigger Warning", "Spectral Evidence".
Thanks to NetGalley, Knopf, and Gregory Pardlo for a free ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.
January 11, 2024
Thank you to Netgalley, Gregory Pardlo and Penguin Random House for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!
Spectral Evidence explores some heavy topics, including racism, sexism, judgment, prejudice, and the systemic trauma that is built into the fabric of american society. Stories are told in the form of poems, prose, a play, and at one point, a chart of data about what percentage of americans believed certain sterotypes about black people.
The title (spectral evidence) refers to the ridiculous, hateful nonsense that was accepted as “evidence” during the Salem witch trials.
I think this is a very important book, and I am extremely grateful it exists. I personally found it hard to follow at times, but I’m also not very well read when it comes to poetry. I will say that some of it I liked quite a lot, and other parts I found disturbing (in a good way) or thought provoking. There was one poem that talked about the inverse relationship between a person's self-restraint and their ability to silence victims that really moved me.
Spectral Evidence explores some heavy topics, including racism, sexism, judgment, prejudice, and the systemic trauma that is built into the fabric of american society. Stories are told in the form of poems, prose, a play, and at one point, a chart of data about what percentage of americans believed certain sterotypes about black people.
The title (spectral evidence) refers to the ridiculous, hateful nonsense that was accepted as “evidence” during the Salem witch trials.
I think this is a very important book, and I am extremely grateful it exists. I personally found it hard to follow at times, but I’m also not very well read when it comes to poetry. I will say that some of it I liked quite a lot, and other parts I found disturbing (in a good way) or thought provoking. There was one poem that talked about the inverse relationship between a person's self-restraint and their ability to silence victims that really moved me.
March 21, 2024
Definitely poetry to be studied!! I’m rarely so grateful for an introduction, it was really eye-opening and powerful in itself, and of course really enhanced my understanding of these poems. “Spectral evidence” stems from the Salem Witch Trials and refers to when when people cite someone’s spirit (physically or an imagined intention) conspiring against them. It often led to convictions, much like the evidence we accept in trial against Black Americans or as reasoning for their murders by police. This collections is made up of really unique and powerful poems written as plays, pulled from historical documents, and more. Sometimes it was so referential I got lost, and more often than is usual I had to look up words which pulled me out of the poem. I will be thinking about this one for a while and want to read more of Pardlo’s work!
December 8, 2023
Usually, I do not write about a cover of a book. This cover haunts me. Putting it away only causes the need to see it again. It arouses my interest. So, I must turn to the poems. Each one as deep as the ocean. Each one wringing my brain like the water in a tub of shirts and socks. With words about the state of prisoners my mind is blasted open. I look to see if they are at my feet.
Thank you to Gregory Pardlo for entering my mind and giving it organization and clarity. Whether it is in a hushed voice or spoken extremely loudly there is the constant thought of mankind , no less for black mankind and woman: There is our survival, and our huge, traveling spirits. Tituba is here! As are the Scythians. I weep thinking of the branded blind slaves. What could have saved them or was it a time of destiny? Tituba speaks to all women. I think Tituba is my most favorite woman mentioned. I will know when I reread this poem what has touched my soul. Yes, children, never forgotten.
Thank you to Gregory Pardlo for entering my mind and giving it organization and clarity. Whether it is in a hushed voice or spoken extremely loudly there is the constant thought of mankind , no less for black mankind and woman: There is our survival, and our huge, traveling spirits. Tituba is here! As are the Scythians. I weep thinking of the branded blind slaves. What could have saved them or was it a time of destiny? Tituba speaks to all women. I think Tituba is my most favorite woman mentioned. I will know when I reread this poem what has touched my soul. Yes, children, never forgotten.
November 13, 2024
I enjoyed this collection a lot, though I also think a lot of it went over my head. It is dense, his wordplay and just his use of language are incredible. The prologue, explaining the title, was appreciated and also relevant to various poems in the collection.
Pardlo moves from Tituba to MOVE to documents with no additional commentary, to performances and drugs, and Bernini's Teresa. Somehow these different topics make a coherent whole.
My favorites from the collection:
• Narratio--very short, magnificent wordplay
• Question and Answer--at a poetry reading
• Tall Poppies--Genocide, Opium, Oxycontin, more genocide
• Beauty School Wig Head: The Marion Devotions--a longer poem that takes on painting, photography, and more
Pardlo moves from Tituba to MOVE to documents with no additional commentary, to performances and drugs, and Bernini's Teresa. Somehow these different topics make a coherent whole.
My favorites from the collection:
• Narratio--very short, magnificent wordplay
• Question and Answer--at a poetry reading
• Tall Poppies--Genocide, Opium, Oxycontin, more genocide
• Beauty School Wig Head: The Marion Devotions--a longer poem that takes on painting, photography, and more
October 21, 2023
I loved the concept of this, and the author’s note made me think this was going to be an easy five star for me, but it ended up feeling a bit all over the place. Some pieces really felt like they were being forced to fit into this collection just because they existed and needed somewhere to go, more than I felt I could easily justify.
Thank you to NetGalley & Knopf for the ARC
Thank you to NetGalley & Knopf for the ARC
April 18, 2024
Bruh.
Honestly, this is the first poetry book I’ve ever read that made me think I was not smart enough to understand it.
This collection is the most cerebral, metaphorical, metaphysical, philosophical, lyrical, collection of poems I’ve ever read. Gregory Pardlo is a uniquely singular voice.
The way Pardlo compares cops vilification of Black folk to the spectral evidence “collected” during the Salem Witch trials blew my mind. I may never recover.
Honestly, this is the first poetry book I’ve ever read that made me think I was not smart enough to understand it.
This collection is the most cerebral, metaphorical, metaphysical, philosophical, lyrical, collection of poems I’ve ever read. Gregory Pardlo is a uniquely singular voice.
The way Pardlo compares cops vilification of Black folk to the spectral evidence “collected” during the Salem Witch trials blew my mind. I may never recover.
July 24, 2024
3/5 book for me! I felt like it was more of short stories than poems. It was an interesting read!
October 3, 2024
The highest angel haunted Theresa Avila like a Motown hook
August 22, 2025
I've never read anything quite like this collection. There are a lot of poems in here that boom so loud and really stuck with me. There are others which, though well written, left me baffled and humbled. I probably could have taken more time dissecting them, but I didn't have the energy. A powerful collection on important topics, but certainly not the type of book meant for the average poetry reader. There are some poems in here that seem written for scholars.
December 15, 2023
Usually, I do not write about the cover of a book. This cover haunts me. Putting it away only causes the need to see it again. It arouses my interest. So, I must turn to the poems. One is as deep as the ocean. Each one wringing my brain like the water in a tub of shirts and socks. With words about the state of prisoners, my mind is blasted open. I look to see if they are at my feet.
Thank you to Gregory Pardlo for entering my mind and giving it organization and clarity. Whether it is in a calm voice or spoken extremely loudly there is the constant thought of ma, no less for black mankind and woman: There is our survival, and our huge, traveling spirits. Tituba is here! As are the Scythians. I weep thinking of the branded blind slaves. What could have saved them or was it a time of destiny? Tituba speaks to all women. I think Tituba is my most favorite woman mentioned. I will know when I reread this poem what has touched my soul. Yes, children, never forgotten.
aid of the author.
S
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January 17, 2024
✨ Review ✨ Spectral Evidence: Poems by Gregory Pardlo
While I'm far from being a poetry enthusiast, I try to read at least a few volumes of BIPOC-authored poetry each year. I appreciate all the layers of meaning in the poems that I see, even if I don't always understand them all...and Spectral Evidence has LAYERS. There were a fair numbers of poems in this collection that went completely over my head....BUT THEN, the poems that I understood resonated DEEPLY with me.
The book is cerebral and deep and emotional and personal and clever, all at once. His introduction links together the idea of "spectral evidence" from the Salem witch trials to the type of evidence used by police who've used deadly force against Black Americans. "This book is about the legal means by which fear--the fear of one who has more privilege than the person feared--has been used to rationalize the execution of those thought to be in league with the devil. A similar logic is used to rationalize the extrajudicial killing of Black and Indigenous people in post-Reconstruction America."..."This is a book about my search for evidence, evidence of mental habits that run counter to the values I hope to express in the world.
The book contains a range of pieces including some that are a little longer and more free form. Some appear more like a script or a collection of thoughts, and the form of these poems really captured my attention.
A few favorites:
⭕️ Know Yourselves: a poem about a student who once confronted him while speaking about the progress of his character and identity. A few favorite phrases: "As if to write poems is to go tiptoeing like the Hamburglar through the archives of my childhood." and "What if we didn't define ourselves according to our ability to know ourselves, but by our capacity to relate to others? Then we'd be a reflection of the people we let in."
⭕️ "Supernatural Bread" and "Theater Selfie" both speak to the ways the history of slavery is actively oppressed.. "America even wants to pretend slavery never happened and that there's no trauma woven into the social fabric."
⭕️ Trigger Warning juxtaposes the deadly force used against Black boys who are perceived to be dangerous, who are perceived to be holding weapons, even when just finger guns with the Alec Baldwin on-set shooting of a staff member. "The bullet is the messenger. The bullet is the message."
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: poetry
Pub Date: 30 Jan 2024
Thanks to Knopf and #netgalley for the gifted advanced copy/ies of this book!
While I'm far from being a poetry enthusiast, I try to read at least a few volumes of BIPOC-authored poetry each year. I appreciate all the layers of meaning in the poems that I see, even if I don't always understand them all...and Spectral Evidence has LAYERS. There were a fair numbers of poems in this collection that went completely over my head....BUT THEN, the poems that I understood resonated DEEPLY with me.
The book is cerebral and deep and emotional and personal and clever, all at once. His introduction links together the idea of "spectral evidence" from the Salem witch trials to the type of evidence used by police who've used deadly force against Black Americans. "This book is about the legal means by which fear--the fear of one who has more privilege than the person feared--has been used to rationalize the execution of those thought to be in league with the devil. A similar logic is used to rationalize the extrajudicial killing of Black and Indigenous people in post-Reconstruction America."..."This is a book about my search for evidence, evidence of mental habits that run counter to the values I hope to express in the world.
The book contains a range of pieces including some that are a little longer and more free form. Some appear more like a script or a collection of thoughts, and the form of these poems really captured my attention.
A few favorites:
⭕️ Know Yourselves: a poem about a student who once confronted him while speaking about the progress of his character and identity. A few favorite phrases: "As if to write poems is to go tiptoeing like the Hamburglar through the archives of my childhood." and "What if we didn't define ourselves according to our ability to know ourselves, but by our capacity to relate to others? Then we'd be a reflection of the people we let in."
⭕️ "Supernatural Bread" and "Theater Selfie" both speak to the ways the history of slavery is actively oppressed.. "America even wants to pretend slavery never happened and that there's no trauma woven into the social fabric."
⭕️ Trigger Warning juxtaposes the deadly force used against Black boys who are perceived to be dangerous, who are perceived to be holding weapons, even when just finger guns with the Alec Baldwin on-set shooting of a staff member. "The bullet is the messenger. The bullet is the message."
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: poetry
Pub Date: 30 Jan 2024
Thanks to Knopf and #netgalley for the gifted advanced copy/ies of this book!
July 11, 2024
The key to Pardlo’s poem collection is the prologue describing the disturbing concept of “spectral evidence.” The concept that, for instance, something seen in a dream could be used as evidence in a criminal trial. For me, this prologue frames not only a consideration of public order, especially an order maintained via a biased criminal justice system, and the “facts” that system has allowed into legal cases, but also a consideration of the truth often attributed to the “spectral.” It’s like what is it that people objectively recognize as unreal, or supernatural, but they still value a factuality to these phenomena. And what I appreciate in Pardlo’s book is how he approaches this as a political statement. For instance, in the poem “Multiple Choice for Ell Persons,” he opens with the story of a Black man who “often saw” a blonde girl walking to school. And then, in a multiple choice question after asks why “you might predict this story will end tragically.” “D) It involves an interaction between a Black man and a white girl.” As Pardlo’s book explains, the “spectral evidence” of this situation is just what everyone knows “is going to happen” when these two characters are introduced into a story. That is one of many unfortunate sides to the American Experience.
What, then, contributes to the troubling authority summoned by this narrative frame? And for the actors in this story, what makes it possible to frame Ell Persons with this crime on mere impression? Remarkably, Pardlo takes these questions to very personal places. What authority does he draw on in order to write poems? How is it memory (his memory, memory, in general) also operate as an untrustworthy source for poems? For understanding yourself?
I want to be clear, though, Pardlo doesn’t blur the line between spectral evidence used to wrongly convict and memory’s spectral sourcing so that his poems can argue a sympathetic excuse for those wrongly convicting people. In fact, the ambiguous authority Pardlo finds in memory serves as contrast to these criminal cases. Yes, it is human nature to trust whatever the spectral represents (a sixth sense? intuition?), but how these criminals cases could rely on the spectral feels clownish. It’s a further implication of “American justice,” and the people who kept just letting it happen (and, unfortunately, still let it happen), to not see and call out what anyone could see couldn’t be true.
How the book, then, could be absolutely political, but also intimate and personal, with Pardlo thinking through memory, through the person he was, how that person would have intuitively heard his own dreams, for instance, and how the person he is now would do the same, this is where I am most fascinated. The political reference point made by Pardlo’s prologue sets the political as inescapable context. And then the personal struggle to “know thyself” in the midst of these inescapably political contexts, that is the center of the book’s complexity. What is Gregory Pardlo, Jr. supposed to have learned from what Gregory Pardlo, Sr. represented to him growing up, and what he represents to him now? What does it mean to understand what the man at the ticket book expects when he sees a Black man buying tickets? And that Pardlo would play some aspects of that part if he knew it would be to his advantage?
All of this, for me, constitutes what I mean when I describe a blur between the book’s political perspective and the personal reflection on his past. What are you supposed to trust from the former selves you carry with yourself, and how, when the culture has positioned you via others’ testimonies based on dreams or premonitions, do you negotiate what can’t be factually known but feels known to you. How does misremembering, as memory is often guilty of, still operate so concretely in any person’s construction of self? These are the types of questions Pardlo considers in the book.
What, then, contributes to the troubling authority summoned by this narrative frame? And for the actors in this story, what makes it possible to frame Ell Persons with this crime on mere impression? Remarkably, Pardlo takes these questions to very personal places. What authority does he draw on in order to write poems? How is it memory (his memory, memory, in general) also operate as an untrustworthy source for poems? For understanding yourself?
I want to be clear, though, Pardlo doesn’t blur the line between spectral evidence used to wrongly convict and memory’s spectral sourcing so that his poems can argue a sympathetic excuse for those wrongly convicting people. In fact, the ambiguous authority Pardlo finds in memory serves as contrast to these criminal cases. Yes, it is human nature to trust whatever the spectral represents (a sixth sense? intuition?), but how these criminals cases could rely on the spectral feels clownish. It’s a further implication of “American justice,” and the people who kept just letting it happen (and, unfortunately, still let it happen), to not see and call out what anyone could see couldn’t be true.
How the book, then, could be absolutely political, but also intimate and personal, with Pardlo thinking through memory, through the person he was, how that person would have intuitively heard his own dreams, for instance, and how the person he is now would do the same, this is where I am most fascinated. The political reference point made by Pardlo’s prologue sets the political as inescapable context. And then the personal struggle to “know thyself” in the midst of these inescapably political contexts, that is the center of the book’s complexity. What is Gregory Pardlo, Jr. supposed to have learned from what Gregory Pardlo, Sr. represented to him growing up, and what he represents to him now? What does it mean to understand what the man at the ticket book expects when he sees a Black man buying tickets? And that Pardlo would play some aspects of that part if he knew it would be to his advantage?
All of this, for me, constitutes what I mean when I describe a blur between the book’s political perspective and the personal reflection on his past. What are you supposed to trust from the former selves you carry with yourself, and how, when the culture has positioned you via others’ testimonies based on dreams or premonitions, do you negotiate what can’t be factually known but feels known to you. How does misremembering, as memory is often guilty of, still operate so concretely in any person’s construction of self? These are the types of questions Pardlo considers in the book.
July 17, 2024
Theater Selfie
At the Richard Rodgers Theatre, I shrank my face to the box
office window and confessed to the Lucite’s voice-vent
that I’d told my wife a lie. I had hidden no Christmas gifts
in the basement, nor yet acquired tickets to Hamilton
for my youngest as I’d boasted I would. The ticket
guy pshawed and, like a chilly neighbor, acknowledged me
enough to punctuate his snub.
But the seat map online, I pleaded, showed several vacant dots
in March. No seats, he snapped, and we went on like this until
I looked it up on my phone. Those? He snarled, you can’t—
His pause—its meaning irretrievable now—was heavy with
the ghosts of Broadway’s sins. It was as if a voice offstage
was force-feeding him the line: You can’t afford those.
His cheeks ripened to prove he’d heard it just
as I’d heard it, but that, for once maybe, he’d heard it in the way
that I’d heard it. Just then, his eyes were houselights
making me suddenly real. The veil had fallen between us,
and we two stood outside the magic. We were our only audience.
As one trained in this hackneyed improv, I knew that I might
dress the specter of his fear in comedy to save him. I needed
to draw him out of his head. You got kids? I asked.
He nodded, but I needed to hear the emotion in his voice.
What are you gunna do, huh? I laughed. It’s like, what do you want
from me? Am I right? And he mirrored me, shaking his head:
The things we do. He asked if I could bring my kid next Tuesday.
Hells yeah, I said, to prove that I could stay in character, though
I wasn’t sure where he was taking us. He bent to root
beneath his desk. Then the Lucite spit two miracles
he must have set aside for someone else. The selfie
we took that day tells a partial story. You see us, all teeth
and safe as bros. You see me holding the tickets like a peace sign,
but you could never guess the price we paid to get them.
At the Richard Rodgers Theatre, I shrank my face to the box
office window and confessed to the Lucite’s voice-vent
that I’d told my wife a lie. I had hidden no Christmas gifts
in the basement, nor yet acquired tickets to Hamilton
for my youngest as I’d boasted I would. The ticket
guy pshawed and, like a chilly neighbor, acknowledged me
enough to punctuate his snub.
But the seat map online, I pleaded, showed several vacant dots
in March. No seats, he snapped, and we went on like this until
I looked it up on my phone. Those? He snarled, you can’t—
His pause—its meaning irretrievable now—was heavy with
the ghosts of Broadway’s sins. It was as if a voice offstage
was force-feeding him the line: You can’t afford those.
His cheeks ripened to prove he’d heard it just
as I’d heard it, but that, for once maybe, he’d heard it in the way
that I’d heard it. Just then, his eyes were houselights
making me suddenly real. The veil had fallen between us,
and we two stood outside the magic. We were our only audience.
As one trained in this hackneyed improv, I knew that I might
dress the specter of his fear in comedy to save him. I needed
to draw him out of his head. You got kids? I asked.
He nodded, but I needed to hear the emotion in his voice.
What are you gunna do, huh? I laughed. It’s like, what do you want
from me? Am I right? And he mirrored me, shaking his head:
The things we do. He asked if I could bring my kid next Tuesday.
Hells yeah, I said, to prove that I could stay in character, though
I wasn’t sure where he was taking us. He bent to root
beneath his desk. Then the Lucite spit two miracles
he must have set aside for someone else. The selfie
we took that day tells a partial story. You see us, all teeth
and safe as bros. You see me holding the tickets like a peace sign,
but you could never guess the price we paid to get them.
December 29, 2023
Rating: 4.5/5 (rounded up)
(Gifted a copy on NetGalley in exchange for a review)
What are we afraid of? How do we all agree on what that subject of fear is? How does the past help us, or fail to, understand these questions? “Spectral Evidence”, a poetry collection by Gregory Pardlo tackles the past, racism, grief, and the dangers of knowing or failing to know. It’s a massive task, but Pardlo manages an excellent exploration through a variety of poems, plays, and images to make some striking points.
From witch hunts to police violence and then into personal family life, this collection covers many places and times. Pardlo’s prose ranges from simple to abstract, as broad and intriguing as his topics. “The future is a palagrized memoir” he writes as he tries to reason out who can palagrize it and whose memoir it is. The reader is encouraged to ask themselves the same questions. There may not be easy or even available answers, but the process is partially the point. I do feel that there were moments where the collection went a bit too broad, but the ambition is impressive even as every part of the project comes together. Some examples of themes clicked better than others and, while not required and googling it might very well be the point, some more context on the historical poems would have been helpful. Even the better known ones took a moment for me to realize the topic of. I do acknowledge that my own experiences shaped my ability to recognize them though.
Given the subject material and the sheer range of topics Pardlo is covering, this can be a weighty read. However it is a rewarding one, particularly if you can read it in its entirety the first time around. Poetry lovers should pick this up whenever they get the chance.
(Gifted a copy on NetGalley in exchange for a review)
What are we afraid of? How do we all agree on what that subject of fear is? How does the past help us, or fail to, understand these questions? “Spectral Evidence”, a poetry collection by Gregory Pardlo tackles the past, racism, grief, and the dangers of knowing or failing to know. It’s a massive task, but Pardlo manages an excellent exploration through a variety of poems, plays, and images to make some striking points.
From witch hunts to police violence and then into personal family life, this collection covers many places and times. Pardlo’s prose ranges from simple to abstract, as broad and intriguing as his topics. “The future is a palagrized memoir” he writes as he tries to reason out who can palagrize it and whose memoir it is. The reader is encouraged to ask themselves the same questions. There may not be easy or even available answers, but the process is partially the point. I do feel that there were moments where the collection went a bit too broad, but the ambition is impressive even as every part of the project comes together. Some examples of themes clicked better than others and, while not required and googling it might very well be the point, some more context on the historical poems would have been helpful. Even the better known ones took a moment for me to realize the topic of. I do acknowledge that my own experiences shaped my ability to recognize them though.
Given the subject material and the sheer range of topics Pardlo is covering, this can be a weighty read. However it is a rewarding one, particularly if you can read it in its entirety the first time around. Poetry lovers should pick this up whenever they get the chance.
December 9, 2023
Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for the ARC!
Poetry is often instinctual or academic, and Spectral Evidence leans toward the latter while not betraying the former. This is a book that feels intensely researched, and Gregory Pardlo offers almost too much history for the reader to process. Maybe that’s the point—the full weight of the issues is felt when it’s impossible to compartmentalize or reduce it.
I think the best poetry moves the reader in some way, and this book is one that will doubtless move people to read more. I especially found the comparison between Teresa Avíla and Lindsay Lohan moving, but more than that—it made me aware of how little I knew about much of the book’s subject matter. I finished with countless notes about things I wanted to look up and lines I wanted to revisit, and I’m sure many readers will have a similar experience.
I also really enjoyed the book’s introduction, which is a thoughtful walk through the book’s guiding premise. It immediately alerts the reader to how intentional this collection is. Similarly, the poems themselves are dense in a way that encourages readers to spend time with them.
For readers who might be on the fence about diving in, I encourage them to read the paired poems “Question and Answer” and “Know Yourselves.” Here is where Pardlo directly interrogates his responsibility both to himself and those impacted by the history and politics he invokes, and I think they complement the introduction in laying out a better understanding of the book’s thesis.
Overall, a great collection. I hadn’t read anything by Gregory Pardlo, but this instantly bumped his memoir to the top of my reading list.
Poetry is often instinctual or academic, and Spectral Evidence leans toward the latter while not betraying the former. This is a book that feels intensely researched, and Gregory Pardlo offers almost too much history for the reader to process. Maybe that’s the point—the full weight of the issues is felt when it’s impossible to compartmentalize or reduce it.
I think the best poetry moves the reader in some way, and this book is one that will doubtless move people to read more. I especially found the comparison between Teresa Avíla and Lindsay Lohan moving, but more than that—it made me aware of how little I knew about much of the book’s subject matter. I finished with countless notes about things I wanted to look up and lines I wanted to revisit, and I’m sure many readers will have a similar experience.
I also really enjoyed the book’s introduction, which is a thoughtful walk through the book’s guiding premise. It immediately alerts the reader to how intentional this collection is. Similarly, the poems themselves are dense in a way that encourages readers to spend time with them.
For readers who might be on the fence about diving in, I encourage them to read the paired poems “Question and Answer” and “Know Yourselves.” Here is where Pardlo directly interrogates his responsibility both to himself and those impacted by the history and politics he invokes, and I think they complement the introduction in laying out a better understanding of the book’s thesis.
Overall, a great collection. I hadn’t read anything by Gregory Pardlo, but this instantly bumped his memoir to the top of my reading list.
February 6, 2024
I’ve already raved about this in my stories but it deserves a post.
I picked up a bunch of poetry ARCs in November and was stoked to see Spectral Evidence by Gregory Pardlo.
I first was introduced to Gregory Pardlo’s Digest through the Literary Disco podcast (RIP to my fav book podcast). It was incredible, smart, and maybe a touch over my head which to b fair ai like about poetry sometimes because it makes you feel but also think.
This new collection, Spectral Evidence, though is exquisite. Spectral evidence is the evidence that was given at witch trials, it was supernatural evidence. Like so and so was in my dreams which meant they were probably a witch and that was enough evidence. He compares this to the evidence given about Black men and women who have been killed by police. Evidence is given like “their eyes looked demonic” or they were somehow supernaturally stron, in order to justify the wrongful killing of Black people by police.
This collection explores those connections and the research Pardlo did on this topic. Standouts in this collection to me were exordium, narratio, confirmatio, confutation, digression, and know yourselves (but also all of them 😂😍).
It is out now. If you like poetry I highly recommend picking up this incredible poet. Also if you are in Sac or SJ I’d happily lend my collection of Digest.
Thank you @netgalley and @aaknopf for my ARC in exchange for an honest review!
I picked up a bunch of poetry ARCs in November and was stoked to see Spectral Evidence by Gregory Pardlo.
I first was introduced to Gregory Pardlo’s Digest through the Literary Disco podcast (RIP to my fav book podcast). It was incredible, smart, and maybe a touch over my head which to b fair ai like about poetry sometimes because it makes you feel but also think.
This new collection, Spectral Evidence, though is exquisite. Spectral evidence is the evidence that was given at witch trials, it was supernatural evidence. Like so and so was in my dreams which meant they were probably a witch and that was enough evidence. He compares this to the evidence given about Black men and women who have been killed by police. Evidence is given like “their eyes looked demonic” or they were somehow supernaturally stron, in order to justify the wrongful killing of Black people by police.
This collection explores those connections and the research Pardlo did on this topic. Standouts in this collection to me were exordium, narratio, confirmatio, confutation, digression, and know yourselves (but also all of them 😂😍).
It is out now. If you like poetry I highly recommend picking up this incredible poet. Also if you are in Sac or SJ I’d happily lend my collection of Digest.
Thank you @netgalley and @aaknopf for my ARC in exchange for an honest review!
September 1, 2023
The usual disclaimer: as with any collection, there were some pieces that I liked and/or that resonated with me more than others. I don’t usually highlight quotes, but I highlighted quite a few in this chapbook. Between the number of excellent pieces found within, and the way the chapbook works as a whole, it’s a pretty solid 5 star collection for me.
Pardlo doesn’t stick to one particular form or topic, but every piece in the collection is somehow related to his theme of spectral evidence, a term which he explains in the opening pages. Short version: he’s exploring the concept of corrupted memory and ghostly afterimages. Marginalization is a major theme, and he plays with the idea of collective memory, the role of a witness, and the concept of performance. Sometimes his language is plain, sometime so florid that I had to reread the same passage several times to make sure that I had understood his meaning. The whole collection is carefully curated, and is often self-referential without being repetitive.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this collection as an ARC.
Pardlo doesn’t stick to one particular form or topic, but every piece in the collection is somehow related to his theme of spectral evidence, a term which he explains in the opening pages. Short version: he’s exploring the concept of corrupted memory and ghostly afterimages. Marginalization is a major theme, and he plays with the idea of collective memory, the role of a witness, and the concept of performance. Sometimes his language is plain, sometime so florid that I had to reread the same passage several times to make sure that I had understood his meaning. The whole collection is carefully curated, and is often self-referential without being repetitive.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this collection as an ARC.
January 29, 2025
The idea of spectral evidence alone is fascinating, compounded in this collection by everything from the Salem Witch Trials to police brutality demonstrating the gaping hole of our justice system (and in what evades us in our personal lives). Strung together by a haunting of truth, by the “glare of memory” and the poets own stories told from many dimensions in poetry, play, and prose.
"I want
to imagine my mother's inner life,
not because she's a woman,
but because the fiction
of her I inherited
cannot imagine me. Gender
as occlusion. My mother is a mirror
in which I cannot appear." (63)
"But stay memory,
time's plagiarist. Stay poem, spare tire for memory." (5)
"We say 'Black bodies' when referring
to the iconography of racism." (10)
"Her fingers blackened like
a scribe's, she brought forth upon
blank pages of ginger,
taxicab, sunflower. The flare
at the center of my memory.
It's how the world looks
without the filter of my eyes
Beauty as market share, as
coercive force. Beauty as capital,
its source and its demise." (54-55)
"I want
to imagine my mother's inner life,
not because she's a woman,
but because the fiction
of her I inherited
cannot imagine me. Gender
as occlusion. My mother is a mirror
in which I cannot appear." (63)
"But stay memory,
time's plagiarist. Stay poem, spare tire for memory." (5)
"We say 'Black bodies' when referring
to the iconography of racism." (10)
"Her fingers blackened like
a scribe's, she brought forth upon
blank pages of ginger,
taxicab, sunflower. The flare
at the center of my memory.
It's how the world looks
without the filter of my eyes
Beauty as market share, as
coercive force. Beauty as capital,
its source and its demise." (54-55)
November 28, 2023
The first thing I noticed about this collection was Pardlo's love for language. Many of these poems just beg to be read out loud. The way he plays with language is so delicious and the sounds jump from the page. At times, I felt like this collection wasn't "for me"--rich with art history and references to historical names that were not familiar to me, I felt like I was in a bit over my head and/or out of my league, as if this poetry collection was written for someone with a different academic background--but what a beautiful invitation it was to do my research as a reader and create context for Pardlo's work. None of it was difficult to search for, and stepping out of the poem to go the extra length and have the reference at hand added tremendously to the overall reading experience. This collection covers so many bases but ties them all together beautifully. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.
December 11, 2023
I read the ARC of this book through NetGalley and Knopf in exchange for an honest review.
While examining my school library's collection, I noticed we need more poetry books so when Knopf offered a preview list I knew I had to read at least one of the books. I selected this book because of the variety of historic references in the poems. I was hoping this could be a good book to suggest to English teachers, especially during Poetry week where students come down to the library to read poems they wrote and poems that call to them. I found this to be a very engaging and thoughtfully written collection. I have already recommended it to one teacher and hope to purchase it for my library collection.
While examining my school library's collection, I noticed we need more poetry books so when Knopf offered a preview list I knew I had to read at least one of the books. I selected this book because of the variety of historic references in the poems. I was hoping this could be a good book to suggest to English teachers, especially during Poetry week where students come down to the library to read poems they wrote and poems that call to them. I found this to be a very engaging and thoughtfully written collection. I have already recommended it to one teacher and hope to purchase it for my library collection.
December 17, 2023
I found the idea behind Spectral Evidence to be really fascinating--drawing a connection between "spectral evidence" used in the Salem Witch Trials and supposed "fear" that has been used to justify violence and killing of Black Americans. I overall found these poems very interesting; however, I must admit that some of the poetic language went way over my head. Would probably be better to approach this collection as someone who has more experience with contemporary poetry than myself! Some of the poems have been described as "cerebral", which I would agree with, but I definitely preferred the more personal ones. My favorite poem was "Occult".
Thank you to Knopf for the advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to Knopf for the advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
December 26, 2023
I found the overarching theme of connecting historical "spectral evidence" to the violence against African Americans profoundly intriguing. The introduction was AMAZING--if the entire collection had maintained the style and engagement of the introduction, it would've been an easy 5 stars. However, I found many of the poems a bit lacking in their depth. My favorite poem of the collection is "Partition," due to its emotional resonance and insightful exploration of writing about ancestral trauma. The message hit especially hard, especially after just reading Nam Lee's collection that explored similar topics. Overall a great read. Highly recommend.
Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for my eARC. All thoughts were my own.
Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for my eARC. All thoughts were my own.
January 30, 2024
This is a deeply personal, at times funny, and incredibly poignant collection of poems and essays that I devoured in one sitting.
Pardlo speaks a little about a lot of things, here, like policing and the justice system, and how they prey on Black people. He touches on religion and faith in ways that are enlightening and personal. The sense of self he brings to the page is unique.
With thought provoking prose and a prologue that was phenomenal, I absolutely LOVED this collection by Gregory Pardlo
My favorites include:
partition pg 8
confutation pg 10
Know Yourselves pg 17
Nunsploitation pg 23
Theater Selfie pg 28
In the Name of the Mother pg 38
Convertible pg 82
Multiple Choices for Ell Persons pg 83
My absolute favorite being:
Tall Poppies pg 31
Pardlo speaks a little about a lot of things, here, like policing and the justice system, and how they prey on Black people. He touches on religion and faith in ways that are enlightening and personal. The sense of self he brings to the page is unique.
With thought provoking prose and a prologue that was phenomenal, I absolutely LOVED this collection by Gregory Pardlo
My favorites include:
partition pg 8
confutation pg 10
Know Yourselves pg 17
Nunsploitation pg 23
Theater Selfie pg 28
In the Name of the Mother pg 38
Convertible pg 82
Multiple Choices for Ell Persons pg 83
My absolute favorite being:
Tall Poppies pg 31
January 9, 2025
Perhaps if one were to read the selected bibliography at the end of this collection, the preceding poems would make more sense and all the arcane allusions would become crystal clear. Alas, even with the poet’s crib notes and list of sources, most of these poems remain elusive to this reader, but there is a poem about a jar of flowers—briefly, until it blossoms into more meticulously crafted metaphors.
Favorite Poems:
“partition”
“digression”
“Charm for Enduring the Dark Night of the Soul”
“Beauty School Wig Head: The Marion Devotions”
“Theater Selfie”
“She Shed”
“Law & Order”
“Convertible”
“Multiple Choices for Ell Persons”
“Giornata I”
“Giornata 9”
Favorite Poems:
“partition”
“digression”
“Charm for Enduring the Dark Night of the Soul”
“Beauty School Wig Head: The Marion Devotions”
“Theater Selfie”
“She Shed”
“Law & Order”
“Convertible”
“Multiple Choices for Ell Persons”
“Giornata I”
“Giornata 9”
February 9, 2025
I have to caveat this entire review by saying that I don't think poetry, in general, is my thing. I read this because I'm currently testing that theory.
My immediate reactions to this collection of poetry were that a) the author is clearly intelligent, and b) those poems at the beginning were too highfalutin for me. They used big words and convoluted sentences and I just didn't get them.
Things got better as the book went along. The words became relatable. The best of them, IMHO, are the ones I presume to be autobiographical. Theater Selfie (the third one), stands out to me in particular.
My immediate reactions to this collection of poetry were that a) the author is clearly intelligent, and b) those poems at the beginning were too highfalutin for me. They used big words and convoluted sentences and I just didn't get them.
Things got better as the book went along. The words became relatable. The best of them, IMHO, are the ones I presume to be autobiographical. Theater Selfie (the third one), stands out to me in particular.
May 19, 2025
This was a different but interesting collection. I definitely enjoyed a bit and was lost at times, but I'm not an avid poetry reader so the confusion could probably just be that. I found it hard to follow at times and some poems just didn't grip me at all. That being said, this is probably the most fascinating collection I've read because they were all so unique. I was expecting some emotional pieces about heavy topics (and there were - racism, sexism, and more) but it also deviated from that. There was a play (wow!), a chart of data on stereotypes, and other genre bending stories. I found this to be an experience in and of itself, and highly recommend.
November 16, 2023
Thank you NetGalley and Knopf for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
“This book is about the legal means by which fear—the fear of one who has more privilege than the person feared—has been used to rationalize the execution of those thought to be in leagues with the devil.”
Spectral Evidence is a collection of intellectually pretentious poetry at its best. These poems are like brain caviar, rich but an acquired taste. If you can endure this vernacular jungle gym, you will find gems of knowledge and perspectives worth holding on to.
“This book is about the legal means by which fear—the fear of one who has more privilege than the person feared—has been used to rationalize the execution of those thought to be in leagues with the devil.”
Spectral Evidence is a collection of intellectually pretentious poetry at its best. These poems are like brain caviar, rich but an acquired taste. If you can endure this vernacular jungle gym, you will find gems of knowledge and perspectives worth holding on to.
February 17, 2024
This is a gorgeous collection of poetry looking at the experience of particularly the Black man, but also black bodies more broadly. Winding historical lessons with personal experience, Pardlo covers a lot of ground here. There are phrases in these that are going to stick with me for days, I can tell. With gorgeous language, many of these pack a punch and leave you quietly sitting alongside inherited ghosts.
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