Autogeography

by David Ebenbach

David Ebenbach’s first chapbook of poetry, Autogeography, is an exploration of place, home, and identity, what poet David Gewanter calls “a wanderer’s handbook on how to live ‘without location’ and ‘in this place.’” Poet Jennifer K. Sweeney describes the collection by saying, “David Ebenbach explores the borders of self and place….There is great warmth and presence in these poems.” In the words of poet and editor Jonathan K. Rice, “This collection is unsettling, spiritual, real, and relevant.”

Genres: Poetry

23 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

David Ebenbach: preoccupied with the human condition since 1972.

He's also (as a result of his preoccupations) the author of five books of fiction, three poetry collections, and a non-fiction guide to the creative process. His books have won numerous awards, including the Drue Heinz Literature Prize and the Juniper Prize. A native of Philadelphia, David now lives with his family in Washington, DC, where he teaches creative writing and literature at Georgetown University.

Reviews

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

One can feel the heat of an oppressive July morning where Ebenbach begins this collection, filing our senses with the sounds of cicadas, and the stench of skunk roadkill. The reader joins the poet in his wanderings around the Midwest, and beyond from Denver to Brooklyn. At the end of this journey, he confides, “Finally, the body is littered with landscapes, / the brain all map and diligent chart.” Yet, he ambivalently assures us, “Finally the wanderer will settle into one place, / laying the back’s weight on the pavement.” With keen yet sympathetic observation Ebenbach draws the reader into his Autogeography. This collection is unsettling, spiritual, real, and relevant. It’s noisy and quiet. Ebenbach celebrates the ordinary with a clear voice. I found myself
re-reading, and enjoying each poem in this collection.