Inkblot and Altar

by Laura Van Prooyen

Genres: Poetry

58 pages, Paperback

First published November 30, 2006

About the author

Having been raised in a tight-knit Dutch community just outside of Chicago, Laura Van Prooyen now lives in San Antonio, TX. She has more than 15 years experience teaching poetry and writing in a variety of academic settings including: Dominican University, Chicago Public Schools, Del Valle High School, and the University of Illinois at Chicago. Presently, she teaches creative writing at Henry Ford Academy: The Alameda School for Art + Design.

The author of Inkblot and Altar (Pecan Grove Press 2006), Van Prooyen's recent work appears in The American Poetry Review, Boston Review, and The Southern Review, among others. She is a recipient of grants from the American Association of University Women and the Barbara Deming Memorial Fund, and also has been awarded a Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg prize for her creative work. Van Prooyen earned a B.A. at Purdue University, an M.A. at The University of Illinois at Chicago, and an M.F.A. in Poetry at Warren Wilson College. Her second collection of poems, Our House Was on Fire, nominated by Philip Levine, was awarded the McGovern Prize from Ashland Poetry Press.

Reviews

[Cait S · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book randomly yesterday in a massive used bookstore maze (which was heaven, I'm sure I don't need to explain why) and picked it up because I liked the title. And I'm always in the market for some new poetry.

This wasn't really to my taste. I suppose, based on the title alone, I should have expected it to be religious but it was very religious and a little on the nose for me. Granted, that may not be the case for everyone and some might enjoy that but as, uh, recovering ex-Lutheran now Atheist, it just wasn't for me. There were a couple poems I enjoyed, namely Aftereffect which is towards the back of the book, but overall it wasn't quite my style.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book much more than I'd thought I would. It's simple, and a little sentimental at times (lots of motherhood poems, and poems about Biblical characters "refigured", etc.) but the poems are sturdy, and the more I thought about them, the more I liked them. The lines are lean & athletic, and Van Prooyen pays close attention to sound & word play. I like the interplay between inkblot (think Rorschach) and altar (think The Virgin Mary) and the questions the poems raise about the nature & function of imagery.