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Hasty Corporeal Ink
Born from a many-years-long study of poetic form and constraint, Lisa Cooper compiled Hasty Corporeal Ink as an invitation for both novices and seasoned poets to experience poems of all different kinds with a fresh perspective. Hasty Corporeal Ink aims to articulate everyday life, death, and everything in between through the lens of form, all while staying rooted in the Christian tradition of truth, goodness, and beauty.
110 pages, Paperback
Published November 11, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 26, 2024
Lisa Cooper's "Hasty Corporeal Ink" is a skillful poetic exploration that challenges the reader (and doubtless the author) and celebrates the art of formal poetry. Defying contemporary trends of nearly ubiquitous free verse, Cooper crafts a collection that is at once scholarly and playful, demonstrating impressive technical skill while maintaining an infectious joy of language even when the subject turns dark.
The collection is divided into four sections that investigate fundamental themes: nature, life, death, memory, and poetic form itself. Throughout these explorations, Christ can be seen—not with heavy-handed preaching, but as a natural thread twining through the verse, reflecting the nature of the universe and how truth and beauty work to strengthen each other in art.
Cooper's technical prowess shines particularly in the more rigid forms she attempts. Her anagrammatic and lipogrammatic works were revelatory in how much they are able to accomplish despite severe limits, showcasing an extraordinary linguistic dexterity. Throughout she also pays homage to poets like Gerard Manly Hopkins, Shakespeare, and e.e. cummings while establishing a distinctly contemporary voice.
The accompanying notes on the form of each poem are a generous gift to readers, subtly growing the collection from mere poetry to a gentle learning experience. They invite interested readers to understand and appreciate the architectures of verse, making formal poetic structures accessible and engaging.
The collection is divided into four sections that investigate fundamental themes: nature, life, death, memory, and poetic form itself. Throughout these explorations, Christ can be seen—not with heavy-handed preaching, but as a natural thread twining through the verse, reflecting the nature of the universe and how truth and beauty work to strengthen each other in art.
Cooper's technical prowess shines particularly in the more rigid forms she attempts. Her anagrammatic and lipogrammatic works were revelatory in how much they are able to accomplish despite severe limits, showcasing an extraordinary linguistic dexterity. Throughout she also pays homage to poets like Gerard Manly Hopkins, Shakespeare, and e.e. cummings while establishing a distinctly contemporary voice.
The accompanying notes on the form of each poem are a generous gift to readers, subtly growing the collection from mere poetry to a gentle learning experience. They invite interested readers to understand and appreciate the architectures of verse, making formal poetic structures accessible and engaging.
August 11, 2025
In this collection, Cooper’s poetry addresses faith, relationships, death, and motherhood.
I like the way Cooper explores all sorts of forms, including a ghazal. I had never even heard of a ghazal! (It’s a structured poem with Persian roots.) Cooper has a knack for choosing the right form for a poem. Take “Masculine & Feminine,” for example. It’s a double acrostic with “masculine” on one side complemented by “feminine” on the other.
Another example of form fitting the subject is “January Eighteenth” which is a poem about Cooper’s two children when they were infants. All the words in the poem are made up only of letters within the poem’s title (a lipogram poem). Both kids were born on January 18th.
My favorite poem in the whole collection was “The Ruins of the Monastery at Oybin.” It was a pleasure to read out loud. It sounds like a scene from Shakespeare. (You’d think it would be a Shakespearean sonnet, but it’s a sestina.)
I loved this collection! I took off a star not because I didn’t enjoy the poems. I enjoyed them, and they stirred emotions in me. I took off a star because Cooper waited until the afterword to explain the form of each poem. I kept having to flip back and forth. I would have preferred to have the form explained at the beginning of each poem.
Overall, super collection. I’m looking forward to reading more from Cooper!
I like the way Cooper explores all sorts of forms, including a ghazal. I had never even heard of a ghazal! (It’s a structured poem with Persian roots.) Cooper has a knack for choosing the right form for a poem. Take “Masculine & Feminine,” for example. It’s a double acrostic with “masculine” on one side complemented by “feminine” on the other.
Another example of form fitting the subject is “January Eighteenth” which is a poem about Cooper’s two children when they were infants. All the words in the poem are made up only of letters within the poem’s title (a lipogram poem). Both kids were born on January 18th.
My favorite poem in the whole collection was “The Ruins of the Monastery at Oybin.” It was a pleasure to read out loud. It sounds like a scene from Shakespeare. (You’d think it would be a Shakespearean sonnet, but it’s a sestina.)
I loved this collection! I took off a star not because I didn’t enjoy the poems. I enjoyed them, and they stirred emotions in me. I took off a star because Cooper waited until the afterword to explain the form of each poem. I kept having to flip back and forth. I would have preferred to have the form explained at the beginning of each poem.
Overall, super collection. I’m looking forward to reading more from Cooper!
April 21, 2025
I enjoyed reading this collection of poems. I planned on reading it during the season of Advent. Alas, life got in the way. Good Friday was a day of quiet contemplation. It became the day I decided to finish reading this book.
I was pleasantly surprised at the variety of poetry styles. I had no idea there were that many varieties of poetic structures. My favorite poem/hymn is "The Branch of Jesse Bears the Tree." It is a hymn for Good Friday. Several hymn tunes could be easily sung using these words. Melita is always first in my mind as the perfect 88 88 88 tune.
This collection provided me with some insights into Lisa's life. Lisa and I are acquaintances. She shared some deep, heartfelt life experiences. "Recipe for a Failed Friendship" reminded me of my own failings with friends. Did I fail them, or did they fail me?
I could provide many more comments, but this is just a sampling of things I enjoyed about this collection. Any Christian who loves reading poetry should consider reading this book.
I was pleasantly surprised at the variety of poetry styles. I had no idea there were that many varieties of poetic structures. My favorite poem/hymn is "The Branch of Jesse Bears the Tree." It is a hymn for Good Friday. Several hymn tunes could be easily sung using these words. Melita is always first in my mind as the perfect 88 88 88 tune.
This collection provided me with some insights into Lisa's life. Lisa and I are acquaintances. She shared some deep, heartfelt life experiences. "Recipe for a Failed Friendship" reminded me of my own failings with friends. Did I fail them, or did they fail me?
I could provide many more comments, but this is just a sampling of things I enjoyed about this collection. Any Christian who loves reading poetry should consider reading this book.
July 22, 2025
Although I love to write, I’m definitely not a poet. Lisa Cooper is, though! I haven’t read any “recent” poetry since college. I’m usually into the classic stuff. Lisa’s poetry, while newer, reminds me of the well-known classics, while still being contemporary and original.
June 1, 2025
unlike bad poetry this is good
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews