Identity Papers

by Ian Seed

The prose poems in Identity Papers seek to construct a living bridge between the self and its shadow, between the self and other, and between present and past. They do so with a vulnerable faith, working with Heidegger's dictum that all things must be allowed their time in darkness. Along the way, their narrators meet a series of disturbing, irresistible strangers. Identity Papers follows on from Makers of Empty Dreams (Shearsman, 2014). It is the second volume in a trilogy of prose poem collections.

Genres: Poetry

90 pages, Paperback

Published February 19, 2016

Reviews

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

While some of these micro narratives left little impression on me, many were exceptional. Seed is a deceptive writer. I had to read every story twice to not just run over the text that often reads in a very mechanical way. He does not deviate in style. All narratives are first-person memoir type stories delivered in simple sentences. But on a second read, the content and order become more powerful. These are billed as prose poems but they are not lyrical. I like the micro narrative label.