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Summer
Veering between teenage slang and cognitive development terminology, Stevie Howell’s Summer explores the hazy summers of youth, where it is possible to slip free from the strict “time-bound” world of high school and family and to try on, and perhaps reject, new identities.
Through bike rides, séances, beach fires and “scrubbing a urinal at Arby’s,” the speaker gains insight and self-awareness, slowly, fitfully transitioning from childhood to adulthood. “Time,” Stevie reflects, “is / us becoming knowledge of our senses.”
"Dew," the long poem that concludes the book, mines this visceral experience of loss and transformation. Opening with “Once upon a time we were a thought experiment,” the poem is a child’s picture book with blank black spaces where the pictures should be. This darkness evokes the painful, murky process of growing up. “To grow,” Stevie says, “you sacrifice / your body over & over to boys / who say they know better what it’s meant for.”
Chapbook
Through bike rides, séances, beach fires and “scrubbing a urinal at Arby’s,” the speaker gains insight and self-awareness, slowly, fitfully transitioning from childhood to adulthood. “Time,” Stevie reflects, “is / us becoming knowledge of our senses.”
"Dew," the long poem that concludes the book, mines this visceral experience of loss and transformation. Opening with “Once upon a time we were a thought experiment,” the poem is a child’s picture book with blank black spaces where the pictures should be. This darkness evokes the painful, murky process of growing up. “To grow,” Stevie says, “you sacrifice / your body over & over to boys / who say they know better what it’s meant for.”
Chapbook
- GenresPoetry
40 pages, Paperback
Published October 1, 2016
6 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 30, 2016
This is a wonderful little chapbook by an exciting Canadian voice. I'm always happy when I see Stevie's name pop up in by-lines, as she's always sharp, smart, and heart-y.
I've had my eye on Desert Pets Press since they came into being (I have an affinity for the poems/editing of Catriona Wright, who is one of the co-founders of the press). I've my eyes on a few of their other books, too, by other (mostly Toronto-based) writers. This chapbook is also a great artefact, and the design (particularly the striking cover and the design of "Dew") is lovely. That's what caught my eye about Desert Pets in the beginning, and why I have been watching them from a loving distance. As a hobby designer, I really have a lot of respect for the work that the designer/illustrator/co-founder Emma Dolan is doin' over there, as I honestly feel like beautiful design is really something that's undervalued sometimes in publishing.
This has a great sampling of a great Canadian poetry talent worth keeping an eye on (I believe she has a new book out in the new year!). And Desert Pets is certainly a small chapbook press worth watching!
I've had my eye on Desert Pets Press since they came into being (I have an affinity for the poems/editing of Catriona Wright, who is one of the co-founders of the press). I've my eyes on a few of their other books, too, by other (mostly Toronto-based) writers. This chapbook is also a great artefact, and the design (particularly the striking cover and the design of "Dew") is lovely. That's what caught my eye about Desert Pets in the beginning, and why I have been watching them from a loving distance. As a hobby designer, I really have a lot of respect for the work that the designer/illustrator/co-founder Emma Dolan is doin' over there, as I honestly feel like beautiful design is really something that's undervalued sometimes in publishing.
This has a great sampling of a great Canadian poetry talent worth keeping an eye on (I believe she has a new book out in the new year!). And Desert Pets is certainly a small chapbook press worth watching!
April 15, 2020
Searing, contemporary, beautiful and ugly, nearly perfect. A friend lent this to me and I want my own copy very desperately now.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews