Crawlspace

by Nikki Wallschlaeger

They are writing down their feelings to put into the civil feelings jar, scuttling with amendments asking for an ultrastrength, longer-lasting solution homes, names, and host categories renegotiated. I’ve been exhausted my entire life —from Sonnet (18)

Genres: Poetry

Unknown Binding

Published January 1, 2017

Reviews

[Téa Jones-Yelvington · Rating 5 out of 5]

so far, my favorite book I brought home from AWP 2017. In conversation w/ NW's 2015 title HOUSES, a crawlspace is a zone of compression/oppression/airlessness... but it is also a space for accessing the utilities that operate the broader system, in order to fuck. shit. up. ...NW radically torques and juxtaposes language and images in a manner that enables her to render the horrors of white supremacist capitalist empire in close proximity to their impact on the individual black woman's body and experiences, often in the same line—satire that is no no way an exaggeration, confession that is self protective by design, and humor as a mechanism for metabolizing poison, expelling bile.

[Sumayyah · Rating 5 out of 5]

"..you think we need to have to/transmogrify into good women.." [Sonnet 50]

Everyone has that one friend that draws a crowd, drops knowledge, and is so deep, so logical and philosophical, that you find yourself nodding along, even if the subject matter leaves you in the dust. Nikki Wallschlaeger is that friend and "Crawlspace" is a book of poems (named sonnets and numbered from 1 to 55) that has the makings of being the next "little red book". Be prepared to stop, reread, and nod along. "Face me in your sonnets so I can permanently grieve.." [Sonnet 36]

[Sarah Peecher · Rating 4 out of 5]

took me a little bit to adjust to the syntax and language, but once i got there, i really enjoyed this.

faves: 15, 18, 34, 36, 47

[Vicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite poem is "Sonnet (55)", the last one in this collection. The rest of the poems in this collection are also all titled sonnets, loosely structured so, though personally I felt a lil d/c with the lines + visual spacing on the page vs. how I was reading some of them in my head that would probably dissolve by listening to them read aloud instead. There are a lot of lines that will linger with me for a while~

=====
unrelated: my goodreads profile is acting so weird right now; testing 1-2-3

[Don Gochenour · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sonnet (55)... wow! What a closer.

[Eliza · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m always on the hunt for poetry written by women of color so I was thrilled to be introduced to Nikki Wallschlaeger’s Crawlspace. The voice in her collection sonnets is crisp and clear with emotion: anger, frustration, curiosity. Topics span the likes of motherhood, blackness, creativity, and coming of age memories. I’m looking forward to reading more from her - great collection!

[Keygan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very intense. The poems create tight, cluttered, often emotionally charged spaces. Valuable commentary.

[jada alexis · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5-5 // oof sonnet 55 hits different during a pandemic.

this was amazing! i can't wait to read more of nikki wallschlaeger's work.

[Meredith D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really spectacular work. My favorites: 9,17,29,34,37,47,55

[Sara Shocks · Rating 4 out of 5]

August 2024: Wow, forgot I'd already read this in February 2021. Favorites this go-round: 7, 11, 23, 25, 29, 32, 36, 51, 54

Feb 2021: Excellent sonnets that I didn't want to put down--favorites were 25, 36, 47, 51, 55

[Ryan Bollenbach]

Engaging and sonically driven sonnets with a sens of a humor, an exploratory and critical eye to what is going on underneath the surface, politically, socially, subconsciously. I particularly enjoyed the collection by the end as I think the final third was more direct in it's politics (and prosaic) in a way that spoke to what was bubbling (rather actively) under the surface of the collection's polyvocality.