Evening Oracle

by Brandon Shimoda

Poetry. Literary Nonfiction. In EVENING ORACLE, Brandon Shimoda encounters shadows, specters, and women—young and old, living and undead—and finds himself standing in a graveyard in the middle of a rice field in a town that no longer exists. EVENING ORACLE is composed of poems originally handwritten at night before sleep in the beds of friends and strangers in Japan (2011-2012), and passages from emails and letters to and from friends and family on the subjects of fruit, vegetables, and dying grandparents. Featuring original poems by Dot Devota and Hiromi Itō, and correspondence by Etel Adnan, Don Mee Choi, Phil Cordelli, Youna Kwak, Quinn Latimer, Mary Ruefle, Rob Schlegel, and Karen McAlister Shimoda, among others.

http://www.spdbooks.org/Producte/9780...

Genres: Poetry

148 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2015

Reviews

[Eli Tubbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shimoda is challenging language unlike I've seen before. My friend and I were talking about Shimoda and the feeling one feels when they think they have a poem kind of figured out, seen a lot of poems, are beginning to find out how a poem is formed, then a guy like Shimoda comes around with a book like this and (good for us) turns it over and makes us look at the poem again, like for the first time. Evening Oracle is a beautiful collection and is unparalleled by any other contemporary poet.

[Carrie Lorig · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a girl after all the girls

[Vicky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you, Brandon Shimoda, for sending me this book and Christine for naming me the lucky recipient :) I don’t remember when I started or finished this because it happened during my 2-year hiatus from Goodreads. Got to attend his reading for the Desert tonight with friends, then we gathered around like shy fanppl. There was a great window view, a new baby’s laughter, and I keep thinking of whether bullets can ricochet off a skull. . .a ginormous chocolate chip cookie at the top of a mountain that required incarcerated labor under Tucson heat. . .

[Casey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brandon Shimoda emails are such a treasure,,

[Jared Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Young monuments resemble sleep

[Cody Stetzel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Newly introduced to Shimoda’s work, this book stood out and genuinely surprised me in lyrical possibility.

The inventive refrains that jump through the book led to unique emotional experiences with each new orientation.

[Erica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not all poetry is for everyone, and that is ok.