Agate Head / Stone Soup

by Patricia Lockwood

A new collection of poetry from Booker Prize finalist Patricia Lockwood, FINALLY!

"A modern word witch." —The New York Times Book Review

Many have called Patricia Lockwood a wordsmith, but in the latest iteration of her life, she has become, quite literally, a metalsmith too. Stones, gems, metals, fossils—she forges them into bodies, faces, and, with her typical irreverence, vaginas. In these poems, a robot dog discovers the Lascaux caves in France. Jane Austen shoots a perfect game. A rock gets a girlfriend. The Pope blesses McLovin (kind of). Lockwood's most indelible work of metal- and word-smithing yet is her blend of the Internet world with the natural one, as she sifts meme references and literary echoes into evocations of geological time, explorations of organic bodies, and observations of youth. Both personal and provocative, Agate Head / Stone Soup brings together the intimacy of Lockwood's memoir, the incisiveness of her criticism, the power of her fiction, and the mad genius of her poetry in an ambitious artistic masterpiece served in two slices.

Genres: Poetry

160 pages, Paperback

Published October 6, 2026

Reviews

[Kym]

I read Patricia Lockwood’s Booker nominated No One is Talking About This a few years ago, and was intrigued by her wordplay and unique writing style. I was happy to have an opportunity to read an ARC edition of her soon-to-be published poetry collection, Agate Head/Stone Soup (publication in late September 2026).

While intriguing and very interesting, I’m not sure I’m actually the right reader for Lockwood’s poetry. I appreciate her word play and wit, but . . . well. I had a hard time following most of the poems in this new collection. I did enjoy reading the introduction to the collection, so I have a feeling I like her prose more than her poetry.

Interesting. Intriguing. I’m glad I gave it a read. This will be a special treat for her fans.

Thank you to NetGalley and Viking Penguin for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. This novel will be published September 29, 2026.

3 stars

[Edie]

I admit, I often have trouble following Patricia Lockwood's prose. Her brain makes these leaps and I struggle to find my footing. She sees interesting connections and I vaguely follow behind, trying desperately not to get lost. Unfortunately, I spent quite a bit of time with this poetry collection feeling decidedly lost. However there were these brilliant, shimmering moments which made the reading experience completely worthwhile. I think I still prefer Lockwood's prose but I am grateful for the opportunity to read Agate Head / Stone Soup. I read and reread my favorites, savoring particular lines such as: "Ensoulment like a fine salt spray / Just crashing off that rock." Why that line? Even I don't know. But I want to paint it. Dance it. I want to curl up in the sound and smell and feel of it.

Thank you to Patricia Lockwood, Penguin Poets, and NetGalley for the eARC.

[Holly Slick]

The poems here are fun to read, they can be a little difficult sometimes but that's also part of the fun. She writes of the time she went to John Butler Yeats's tower to take apples just like her hero Sylvia Plath did years ago. The poems are not rhyming poems, but if you've already read her previous poems you already know this. She writes a poem about Norma Tanega, a folk singer from the 60's that I'd never heard of and after I looked her up and can't stop listening to her. The title of the book is for a piece of agate she carries around with her wondering what's going on inside its head. Her husband was going to sculpt it with a saw but she saved it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book.

[Cecilia]

2.5 ⭐️

These poems were a little difficult for me to follow and I wasn’t a huge fan of the writing style. A lot of the metaphors tripped me up and I found myself getting lost in the way the poems were structured. There were quite a few moments where I had no idea what she was trying to convey which made it difficult for me to fully connect with the collection.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Jess]

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin books for the ARC.

Patricia Lockwood's brain is just so cool and there are moments where that really shines through here. Her free verse and loose style often makes these poems a bit hard to follow. I was very grateful that the introduction gave me some context to feel grounded in, without that I would have felt quite lost. If you are open to a bit of a funky journey, this book offers some fun, glimmering peeks into Lockwood's thoughts and feelings.

[Sarah W Bowers]

Patricia Lockwood is not for everyone, but if you appreciate weird wordsmithing, bizarre connections, and complex structures, you will appreciate this latest book of poems. I had the privilege of hearing her read many of them and she was pure joy. If you can get outside standard conventions of what poetry and prose should look like, you have found your girl. Also, the book flip flops and can be read from either direction.

[Emily Pencil]

Hmmmm, I don’t know how to feel about this. I do really like Patricia Lockwood’s writing style, and I have enjoyed my past reads from her. But this one felt to disjointed and all over the place. The poems were fine enough, but not quite to really envelop me and keep engaged throughout.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Books for the opportunity to read this ARC.

[Kimberly]

What a pleasure to be back in Patricia Lockwood’s zany poetic mind. (I hope Lockwood wouldn’t be offended by the word zany, but quirky feels overused) She sees the world and processes it in her poetry in such an imaginative way. Love to savor her poems!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

[Ambi]

Torn on this one because while there were some real gems here and I do find Lockwood’s writing witty and propulsive, there were quite a few poems in the collection I couldn’t follow. The result was a somewhat disorienting, albeit still enjoyable, read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Viking Penguin for the ARC!

[Venneh]

Patricia Lockwood reminds us she's also real damn good at poetry while she's at it. Happy to see her back and flexing these muscles.