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Scriptorium: Poems
A collection of poems exploring questions of religious and linguistic authority, from medieval England to contemporary Appalachia
A National Poetry Series winner, selected and with a foreword by Tracy K. Smith
The poems in Scriptorium are primarily concerned with questions of religious authority. The medieval scriptorium, the central image of the collection, stands for that authority but also for its subversion; it is both a place where religious ideas are codified in writing and a place where an individual scribe might, with a sly movement of the pen, express unorthodox religious thoughts and experiences. In addition to exploring the ways language is used, or abused, to claim religious authority, Scriptorium also addresses the authority of the vernacular in various time periods and places, particularly in the Appalachian slang of the author’s East Tennessee upbringing. Throughout Scriptorium, the historical mingles with the personal: poems about medieval art, theology, and verse share space with poems that chronicle personal struggles with faith and doubt.
A National Poetry Series winner, selected and with a foreword by Tracy K. Smith
The poems in Scriptorium are primarily concerned with questions of religious authority. The medieval scriptorium, the central image of the collection, stands for that authority but also for its subversion; it is both a place where religious ideas are codified in writing and a place where an individual scribe might, with a sly movement of the pen, express unorthodox religious thoughts and experiences. In addition to exploring the ways language is used, or abused, to claim religious authority, Scriptorium also addresses the authority of the vernacular in various time periods and places, particularly in the Appalachian slang of the author’s East Tennessee upbringing. Throughout Scriptorium, the historical mingles with the personal: poems about medieval art, theology, and verse share space with poems that chronicle personal struggles with faith and doubt.
98 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 18, 2016
8 people are currently reading
271 people want to read
About the author
Melissa Range
8 books13 followersMelissa Range is the author of Scriptorium, a winner of the 2015 National Poetry Series (Beacon Press, 2016), and Horse and Rider (Texas Tech University Press, 2010). She is the recipient of awards and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Rona Jaffe Foundation, the American Antiquarian Society, the Sewanee Writers’ Conference, and the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown. She teaches creative writing and American literature at Lawrence University in Wisconsin and blogs about American literature pedagogy.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
July 4, 2017
A random find at the public library. These poems are very elegant and deal with things like historical texts, manuscripts, libraries, old things. As such I did not find them particularly interesting, but hey, poetry is widely subjective. Perhaps you would enjoy poems on these themes.
One standout was Negative Theology... here's the last few lines:
"Cast off all images, even those that seem flesh, seem true.
'Jesus paid it all,' says the preacher. Did he pay it for nothing?
Unmother, Unlover, Undoer, Undone—
like you, she won’t have a name. Two can play at nothing.
My mother calls my name, asks me to pray.
When you’ve got nothing to say, better to say nothing."
One standout was Negative Theology... here's the last few lines:
"Cast off all images, even those that seem flesh, seem true.
'Jesus paid it all,' says the preacher. Did he pay it for nothing?
Unmother, Unlover, Undoer, Undone—
like you, she won’t have a name. Two can play at nothing.
My mother calls my name, asks me to pray.
When you’ve got nothing to say, better to say nothing."
July 30, 2017
This was one of five poetry books published via The National Poetry Series in 2015, selected by Tracy K. Smith. Range wrote much of it while studying theology and working at the Emory University theology library. Medieval religious manuscripts feature frequently: Old English and monks mixing pigments to create treasures like the Lindisfarne Gospels. Dotted through are poems examining different theological strategies, like “Incarnational Theology” and “Natural Theology” – yet these are not full of abstruse philosophizing but practical and relatable. “Negative Theology,” for instance, uses the language of “nothing” and “un-” to chart her grandmother’s decline with illness.
The other major theme is the poet’s hillbilly origins in East Tennessee: “When I left my mountain home to hitch to cities, I became a hick, / my skiff of twang scuffing the air, // breaking on scoffers’ ears like ships busting on rocks.” Much as I enjoyed the poems, at times it felt like this was really two different collections mashed together. Due to the Kindle (lack of) formatting, I’m unable to remark on the forms Range uses, though in the introduction Smith mentions sonnets and villanelles.
The other major theme is the poet’s hillbilly origins in East Tennessee: “When I left my mountain home to hitch to cities, I became a hick, / my skiff of twang scuffing the air, // breaking on scoffers’ ears like ships busting on rocks.” Much as I enjoyed the poems, at times it felt like this was really two different collections mashed together. Due to the Kindle (lack of) formatting, I’m unable to remark on the forms Range uses, though in the introduction Smith mentions sonnets and villanelles.
September 7, 2017
I think I'm jealous of Melissa's range.
Her vision, verbiage, and verdigris
Leave me greener than her coppered veins
Poured out and left to oxidize
While I contemplate the complexity
Of surrealism so real
Described in a point-of-view
I may not share, although...
I appreciate it when she puts it into words.
Her vision, verbiage, and verdigris
Leave me greener than her coppered veins
Poured out and left to oxidize
While I contemplate the complexity
Of surrealism so real
Described in a point-of-view
I may not share, although...
I appreciate it when she puts it into words.
February 14, 2017
I won this Free book through Goodreads First Reads.
This Book was a winner in The National Poetry Series, for 2015
I liked so many of the poems. They were written very clear and understandable.
I also liked how the poems were presented on the page. They were easy to read.
This Book was a winner in The National Poetry Series, for 2015
I liked so many of the poems. They were written very clear and understandable.
I also liked how the poems were presented on the page. They were easy to read.
August 6, 2024
This is an odd collection of poems. It’s almost as if there were two sets: medieval theology and Appalachian folk. The two, to my mind, don’t really fit well together, so the entire collection seemed a bit uneven. I did like several of the poems, particularly the ones dealing with the ‘old folks’ and the pigments used for illumination. It’s always nice to learn something. And, Range kept me going to Google to find a new-to-me word, event, or person. As well, Range’s use of words and rhyme is clever and almost rap-like at times. I just wish the overall collection had been more cohesive.
April 18, 2017
Melissa Range's Scriptorium musicality and evocative formal play bring to mind Gerard Manley Hopkins, Lucie Brock-Broido, and Timothy Donnelley, and the series of poems inspired by colors is especially powerful.
March 19, 2025
Actually a lot of these were really good
January 4, 2021
I found my way to this book via Tracy K. Smith’s endorsement and forward and it did not disappoint. I found the subject matter fascinating and the end notes were illuminating as to the specifics of many sources of inspiration for the poems in this volume. Melissa Range’s language is deft and rich, qualities shared by the physical aspect of the illuminated manuscripts she often writes of.
April 27, 2024
( 5 stars )
i absolutely love the themes in this collection—religion, medieval manuscripts, appalachia, adolescence and growing up. they merge in so many unexpected ways. “Woad” and “Gold Leaf” are maybe my favorites of them all. i had the absolute amazing opportunity of getting to hear Melissa Range read her poems out loud and talk to her about her inspirations and themes, and it’s so clear that this manuscript was an absolute labor of love for her, marrying all her interests and questions about faith and medieval bookmaking with her appalachian childhood.
i absolutely love the themes in this collection—religion, medieval manuscripts, appalachia, adolescence and growing up. they merge in so many unexpected ways. “Woad” and “Gold Leaf” are maybe my favorites of them all. i had the absolute amazing opportunity of getting to hear Melissa Range read her poems out loud and talk to her about her inspirations and themes, and it’s so clear that this manuscript was an absolute labor of love for her, marrying all her interests and questions about faith and medieval bookmaking with her appalachian childhood.
November 18, 2016
I love this book! Range masterfully handles complex rhyme and meter, sometimes in classic forms such as the sonnet, ghazal, and villanelle, with weighty historical and religious subject matter. Some would say that's a recipe for a poetry that's fussy, stilted, and old-fashioned, but this book is not that. It's lively, engaging, smart, funny, subtle and surprising.
The series of sonnets about ancient manuscript pigments is especially lovely.
The series of sonnets about ancient manuscript pigments is especially lovely.
December 15, 2019
Ever so often, a book or collection will come by that knocks readers off their seats, leaves them nodding along to the material, and makes them close their eyes to take it all in. Melissa Range’s Scriptorium has all the ingredients for a beloved and striking poetry collection: a mixture of elevated and common language, specific encounters, clever wordplays and rhyme schemes, and a balance of complexity and simplicity. Throughout Scriptorium, Range litters her southern vernacular into lofty phrases and larger, in-depth about time, social stigmas, and religion. It is both a critique and celebration of southern heritage--a well-articulated rebuttal to the “hick” label often given to individuals who speak with a southern dialect. As the speaker defends her manner of speaking, she purposefully and brilliantly flips familiar phrases on their heads and writes them in ways that force readers to embrace Southern accents.
Readers first see the reference of social stigmas against the speaker’s native accent in “A Skiff of Snow,” where she states,
She relates the idea of a “skiffs in a landlocked state” (3) to a story about men fighting over “hillbilly” speech and shows the violence and uncertainty that may arise from prejudice and stigmatizing.
Range continues with her complex, somewhat comical commentary of Southern phrases in the poem “Flat as a Flitter,” which details kitchen talk between the speaker and her granny while making flitters. The speaker states,
She follows the literal meaning—the flattening of an actual flitter—then delves into deeper territory by describing the harrowing effects of mountaintop flattening for coal mining. Throughout the poem, Range also comments on the different generational connotations behind certain phrases and ponders how those words and the stories behind them have become challenged as they are passed on to younger generations.
“Hit,” one of the biggest highlights from the collection, forces readers to read with a subtle Southern accent. “Hit” refers to the way in which many southerners pronounce “it,” and Range plays with the accent and the literal meaning of the word “hit.” She writes,
By connecting the word with its actual violent connotation, the speaker notes the ways in which the accent has been “beaten” out of her, but it always seems to fight back.
Range’s word choices, southern phrases, and pronunciation do more than simply show readers common Southern phrases; instead, they offer them an interactive, reflective, and immersive experience. From the beginning to the end, Scriptorium creates an indelible experience that forces readers to reflect on and examine their attitudes toward their own dialect and even their misconceptions of others.
Readers first see the reference of social stigmas against the speaker’s native accent in “A Skiff of Snow,” where she states,
When I left my mountain home to hitch
to cities, I became a hick,
my skiff of twang scuffing the air,
breaking on scoffers’ ears like ships
busting on rocks. (25-29)
She relates the idea of a “skiffs in a landlocked state” (3) to a story about men fighting over “hillbilly” speech and shows the violence and uncertainty that may arise from prejudice and stigmatizing.
Range continues with her complex, somewhat comical commentary of Southern phrases in the poem “Flat as a Flitter,” which details kitchen talk between the speaker and her granny while making flitters. The speaker states,
The old people said “flitter.” They didn’t live to see
God’s own mountain turned
hazard-orange mid-air pond,
A haze of waste whose brightness rivals heaven. (21-24)
She follows the literal meaning—the flattening of an actual flitter—then delves into deeper territory by describing the harrowing effects of mountaintop flattening for coal mining. Throughout the poem, Range also comments on the different generational connotations behind certain phrases and ponders how those words and the stories behind them have become challenged as they are passed on to younger generations.
“Hit,” one of the biggest highlights from the collection, forces readers to read with a subtle Southern accent. “Hit” refers to the way in which many southerners pronounce “it,” and Range plays with the accent and the literal meaning of the word “hit.” She writes,
You can hit hit
like a nail on the head,
and sometimes hit
hits back. (27-30)
By connecting the word with its actual violent connotation, the speaker notes the ways in which the accent has been “beaten” out of her, but it always seems to fight back.
Range’s word choices, southern phrases, and pronunciation do more than simply show readers common Southern phrases; instead, they offer them an interactive, reflective, and immersive experience. From the beginning to the end, Scriptorium creates an indelible experience that forces readers to reflect on and examine their attitudes toward their own dialect and even their misconceptions of others.
December 12, 2017
In Scriptorium, Melissa Range does not limit herself to one setting or subject matter. While she does have recurring themes in the included poems, she exhibits a unique skill through her ability to incorporate allusions to various historical events, philosophers, theologies, and so on without distracting the reader. These references are also carefully incorporated so that the reader can usually get by on a surface level of understanding simply from the information she offers in the poem itself; therefore, reader’s initial impressions are not hindered by such allusions so that they only form a disconnected view of the poem. Instead, Range achieves an impactful delivery through each of her poems, regardless of the subject material. Her poems are complex, but not in a way in which the reader is lost in its complexity without having the experience of forming a lasting and personal connection with each piece.
“Scriptorium” is a Medieval Latin word which refers to a room especially meant for writing, and specifically regards one in a religious house. This title incorporates many themes of the book as it refers to an old, now considered dead, language as well as to writing and religion, two subjects with which the narrators in these poems seem to have complex relationships.
Although Range’s poems do cover a wide scope of subject material, she does not neglect or shy away from her own Appalachian identity. One of the best poems to serve as an example for how well she incorporates allusions to historical events and old language with regard to modern settings is “Ofermod.” In defining the title word, the narrator of the poem provides both the literal meanings, “’overmind,’ or ‘overheart,’ / or ‘overspirit’” (lines 5-7), and the common translation of it “overproud” (8). The narrator classifies this word as “a word for our kind of people” (3-4) to her sister, and further explains her meaning of this connection she makes between this Old English word and her own Appalachian identity, “aren’t we like that, high-strung / and ofermod as our daddy and granddaddies / and everybody else / in our stiff-necked mountain town” (14-17). In this explanation, she offers commentary on the narrator’s family but also, more broadly, on other members of their “stiff-necked mountain town” (17), which shows how Range is able to incorporate Old English words so that they are still relevant to modern characters and ideas. This poem is one which speaks specifically to the broader theme in Scriptorium of how these uncommon topics Range includes in her poems offer unique and enlightening narration on modern aspects of life.
Throughout Scriptorium, Range shows how skillful she is in her use of old language and uncommon allusions to pursue various themes which still resonate with readers. Range also avoids any restriction in setting, going from Chartres to Tennessee, or subjects, from a personal story of the narrator’s familial loss to the mistreatment of Native Americans. This collection of poems offers a wide range of topics for readers while still maintaining an overall theme and achieving impactful delivery, and it is therefore a book I highly recommend.
“Scriptorium” is a Medieval Latin word which refers to a room especially meant for writing, and specifically regards one in a religious house. This title incorporates many themes of the book as it refers to an old, now considered dead, language as well as to writing and religion, two subjects with which the narrators in these poems seem to have complex relationships.
Although Range’s poems do cover a wide scope of subject material, she does not neglect or shy away from her own Appalachian identity. One of the best poems to serve as an example for how well she incorporates allusions to historical events and old language with regard to modern settings is “Ofermod.” In defining the title word, the narrator of the poem provides both the literal meanings, “’overmind,’ or ‘overheart,’ / or ‘overspirit’” (lines 5-7), and the common translation of it “overproud” (8). The narrator classifies this word as “a word for our kind of people” (3-4) to her sister, and further explains her meaning of this connection she makes between this Old English word and her own Appalachian identity, “aren’t we like that, high-strung / and ofermod as our daddy and granddaddies / and everybody else / in our stiff-necked mountain town” (14-17). In this explanation, she offers commentary on the narrator’s family but also, more broadly, on other members of their “stiff-necked mountain town” (17), which shows how Range is able to incorporate Old English words so that they are still relevant to modern characters and ideas. This poem is one which speaks specifically to the broader theme in Scriptorium of how these uncommon topics Range includes in her poems offer unique and enlightening narration on modern aspects of life.
Throughout Scriptorium, Range shows how skillful she is in her use of old language and uncommon allusions to pursue various themes which still resonate with readers. Range also avoids any restriction in setting, going from Chartres to Tennessee, or subjects, from a personal story of the narrator’s familial loss to the mistreatment of Native Americans. This collection of poems offers a wide range of topics for readers while still maintaining an overall theme and achieving impactful delivery, and it is therefore a book I highly recommend.
December 7, 2017
In Melissa Range’s book of poetry, Scriptorium, we are presented with poems that explore form, language, and dialect. Not only does Range tackle these topics with seemingly effortless grace, but she tackles them by incorporating themes such as religion, region, specifically Appalachia, history, and vernacular. Scriptorium can be defined as: a room set apart for writing, especially one in a monastery where manuscripts were copied.
In one of her ‘region’ poems, Flat as a Flitter, the speaker discusses and explores the southern/Appalachian idiom and the meanings that it takes on.
“The way you can crush a bug
or stomp drained cans of Schlitz out on the porch,
the bread when it won’t rise
the cake when it falls after the oven door slams –” (15)
The word flitter basically equates to a fritter here in this poem. A fritter is southern way of saying pancake. The speaker goes on to compare the saying “flat as a flitter” to other, various flat things. The saying is even questioned on its meaning in these lines:
“But what’s a flitter?”
“I always asked my granny. And she could never say.
“It’s just a flitter. Well, it might be a fritter.””
““Then why not say fritter?”
“Shit, Melissa. Because the old people say ‘flitter.’”” (15)
The Appalachian/southern dialect can be confusing, especially to outsiders. I think that Range takes a personal experience, with her family, and a saying that has been passed down for years, and created a sort of guidebook to comprehension. I think the poem is not only about comprehension of the word or saying, but comprehension of the place where it originates and comes from. It’s an understanding of mine-country, religion, and family. It’s a lovely, deep-rooted, semi-humorous, poem that touched me, someone who is from the south and specifically the East Tennessee/Appalachian area.
In Range’s poem, Pigs (See Swine), we have another speaker explaining another set of words. Pigs and swine have two different meanings, according to the Library of Congress. Pigs are classified under children’s books – swine is classified under adult books. Even though the two words seem to have the same meaning – they don’t. Range presents us with a speaker who talks about the differentiation of the words in literature – specifically in religious literature and their religious authority. The speaker then goes on to discuss the bible story – the exorcism of the gerasene demoniac.
“But there’s a book whose pigskin bindings shine
for youth and aged alike, in which the terms align,
pigs and swine; and in its stories sow supine,
your litter’s better bacon in a poke done up with twine.” (21)
Melissa Range and her book, Scriptorium, skillfully explore important themes such as: religion, use of language, accent, literature, in a way I have never seen before. I absolutely loved the experience I had while reading this book of poems. It is an excellent collection of poetry by an excellent poet.
In one of her ‘region’ poems, Flat as a Flitter, the speaker discusses and explores the southern/Appalachian idiom and the meanings that it takes on.
“The way you can crush a bug
or stomp drained cans of Schlitz out on the porch,
the bread when it won’t rise
the cake when it falls after the oven door slams –” (15)
The word flitter basically equates to a fritter here in this poem. A fritter is southern way of saying pancake. The speaker goes on to compare the saying “flat as a flitter” to other, various flat things. The saying is even questioned on its meaning in these lines:
“But what’s a flitter?”
“I always asked my granny. And she could never say.
“It’s just a flitter. Well, it might be a fritter.””
““Then why not say fritter?”
“Shit, Melissa. Because the old people say ‘flitter.’”” (15)
The Appalachian/southern dialect can be confusing, especially to outsiders. I think that Range takes a personal experience, with her family, and a saying that has been passed down for years, and created a sort of guidebook to comprehension. I think the poem is not only about comprehension of the word or saying, but comprehension of the place where it originates and comes from. It’s an understanding of mine-country, religion, and family. It’s a lovely, deep-rooted, semi-humorous, poem that touched me, someone who is from the south and specifically the East Tennessee/Appalachian area.
In Range’s poem, Pigs (See Swine), we have another speaker explaining another set of words. Pigs and swine have two different meanings, according to the Library of Congress. Pigs are classified under children’s books – swine is classified under adult books. Even though the two words seem to have the same meaning – they don’t. Range presents us with a speaker who talks about the differentiation of the words in literature – specifically in religious literature and their religious authority. The speaker then goes on to discuss the bible story – the exorcism of the gerasene demoniac.
“But there’s a book whose pigskin bindings shine
for youth and aged alike, in which the terms align,
pigs and swine; and in its stories sow supine,
your litter’s better bacon in a poke done up with twine.” (21)
Melissa Range and her book, Scriptorium, skillfully explore important themes such as: religion, use of language, accent, literature, in a way I have never seen before. I absolutely loved the experience I had while reading this book of poems. It is an excellent collection of poetry by an excellent poet.
January 2, 2018
I give this book of poems three stars because it can take me a long time to warm up to poetry. But they are a good companion to the Paul Michon stories that I just read because the structure of the collection is hung on sonnets to the pigments and substances used in the scriptorium to illuminate Gospel manuscripts. That’s quite a nice idea.
My difficulty with the poems is their rhyme schemes. I find that rhyming poetry in the context of formal poetry does not seem very natural in our age. John Milton, for example, did it very well, but in modern poets there always seems to be a spot in the poem that has too much artifice. It’s as if we have lost a certain style or manner of writing poems to which rhyme was as natural as breath.
But as I said, I take time to warm up to poetry collections. They have to be read more than once because poems do not unlock themselves all at once — and sometimes never completely do which is one of their wonders.
I will say that Ms. Range’s collection has some striking poems about her own people in “hillbilly country” and how she recognizes or hopes or hypothesizes how the language of those people is related to older language, even to Old and Middle English words. Besides this, there are her actual reflections on her Appalachian family and people, her emigration rom it, and her coming to examine it. Stories of departure and “return” to home are a most satisfying genre, witness The Odyssey, one of our seminal poems.
Last, the cover of this book gets an A+.
My difficulty with the poems is their rhyme schemes. I find that rhyming poetry in the context of formal poetry does not seem very natural in our age. John Milton, for example, did it very well, but in modern poets there always seems to be a spot in the poem that has too much artifice. It’s as if we have lost a certain style or manner of writing poems to which rhyme was as natural as breath.
But as I said, I take time to warm up to poetry collections. They have to be read more than once because poems do not unlock themselves all at once — and sometimes never completely do which is one of their wonders.
I will say that Ms. Range’s collection has some striking poems about her own people in “hillbilly country” and how she recognizes or hopes or hypothesizes how the language of those people is related to older language, even to Old and Middle English words. Besides this, there are her actual reflections on her Appalachian family and people, her emigration rom it, and her coming to examine it. Stories of departure and “return” to home are a most satisfying genre, witness The Odyssey, one of our seminal poems.
Last, the cover of this book gets an A+.
April 16, 2018
Melissa Range’s “Scriptorium” is one of the winners of the 2015 National Poetry Series. Being that April is National Poetry Month I decided I needed to read something by a new poet. The title of Range's little book of poems "Scriptorium", which thematically addresses the preservation of language, stories, and culture; and devotion, faith and God, caught my eye. Perhaps this is because, like Range, I too am fascinated by the written word, medieval texts, and theology.
Scriptorium is a curious work. Range jumps between her own Appalachian roots: its culture and dialect, and old English, ancient stories from Beowolf to Byrhtnoth, the Ealdorman of Essex who fought the Vikings in 991 A.D. to poems about monks making pigment to paint icons and altar pieces. Perhaps what ties all these poems together is that each poem is an exploration of language and how language travels and morphs throughout time. Her poems are beautiful (and occasionally full of playful fury) However, Scriptorium can be a jarring read at first. It's hard to see how the poems are threaded together. This is purposeful on part of the author....as really, each poem is about the use of language: practically, theologically, etc.
“Scriptorium” should be read by those who love the written word. It should also be read by those who wrestle with ideas, family, faith, and their own place in the cosmos. And if you're a fan of the medieval ages, check this out.
Favorite poems: Negative Theology and Navajo Code Talkers, WWII
Scriptorium is a curious work. Range jumps between her own Appalachian roots: its culture and dialect, and old English, ancient stories from Beowolf to Byrhtnoth, the Ealdorman of Essex who fought the Vikings in 991 A.D. to poems about monks making pigment to paint icons and altar pieces. Perhaps what ties all these poems together is that each poem is an exploration of language and how language travels and morphs throughout time. Her poems are beautiful (and occasionally full of playful fury) However, Scriptorium can be a jarring read at first. It's hard to see how the poems are threaded together. This is purposeful on part of the author....as really, each poem is about the use of language: practically, theologically, etc.
“Scriptorium” should be read by those who love the written word. It should also be read by those who wrestle with ideas, family, faith, and their own place in the cosmos. And if you're a fan of the medieval ages, check this out.
Favorite poems: Negative Theology and Navajo Code Talkers, WWII
January 4, 2020
This is a beautiful collection of poetry. I was drawn to it because of my own interest in medieval church history, so I was intrigued by the many poems that brought a sensuous, vibrant imagination to the detailed act of illuminating manuscripts.
But Range also balances these deeply academic poems with poems that highlight and celebrate her southern US upbringing. What this speaks to me is an underlying message that often the things (cultures, people, etc) that may be generally considered “simple” breathe an intelligence beyond what books and learning can offer, and we are fools if we are blinded to that by prejudice.
Some of my favorite poems are:
“Lampblack”
“Nicodemus Makes an Analysis”
“Anagram: See a Gray Pine”
“Vernacular Theology: Mechthild of Magdeburg”
“All Creation Wept”
“Shell White”
If I had to choose one that was my favorite of the collection, it would be “Vernacular Theology,” partly because it is just so beautiful, and partly because I minored in German Language in college and the way Range talks about the common language being holy too, and not only Latin, just strikes a chord as I think on Luther during the Reformation and how his efforts to translate the Bible into the language of his people shaped the German language as much as Shakespeare shaped the English language.
This is a book I definitely want to own in print, to linger over the poems and to be able to touch the words and pages.
But Range also balances these deeply academic poems with poems that highlight and celebrate her southern US upbringing. What this speaks to me is an underlying message that often the things (cultures, people, etc) that may be generally considered “simple” breathe an intelligence beyond what books and learning can offer, and we are fools if we are blinded to that by prejudice.
Some of my favorite poems are:
“Lampblack”
“Nicodemus Makes an Analysis”
“Anagram: See a Gray Pine”
“Vernacular Theology: Mechthild of Magdeburg”
“All Creation Wept”
“Shell White”
If I had to choose one that was my favorite of the collection, it would be “Vernacular Theology,” partly because it is just so beautiful, and partly because I minored in German Language in college and the way Range talks about the common language being holy too, and not only Latin, just strikes a chord as I think on Luther during the Reformation and how his efforts to translate the Bible into the language of his people shaped the German language as much as Shakespeare shaped the English language.
This is a book I definitely want to own in print, to linger over the poems and to be able to touch the words and pages.
August 17, 2017
This is an unusual collection that weaves together some disparate topics. Range writes of medieval manuscripts and pigments, Christian theology and dogma, her southern "hillbilly" roots, and the idea of vernacular throughout history. I particularly appreciated her use of meter and poetic discussion of pigments, and I thought the theme of vernacular helped to tie together her widely ranging topics. However, I think it was still a little too scattered for my taste, and while at times her language and meter were vigorous and chilling, at others it felt stilted and slow. Overall, I thought this book worth a read, although it lacked that sought-after spark that burrows into your soul after reading great poetry.
April 3, 2024
This is so fun! I loved the concept of using a scriptorium/monks copying holy texts as a way to explore language and power. The variety of forms in this collection was really fun to read, and I loved the interspersed poems titled/inspired by old pigments/paints used in fancy bibles. This has a really nice tone; the poems both felt serious/like they were conveying something important + they never took themselves too seriously (e.g., rhyming, jokes).
I'm not sure I would like many of these poems on their own. As a collection, though, this is fab.
I didn't get all the references here, but the notes at the end of the collection helped a bit.
I'm not sure I would like many of these poems on their own. As a collection, though, this is fab.
I didn't get all the references here, but the notes at the end of the collection helped a bit.
March 18, 2018
This was written by a former colleague of mine. It's a collection of poems about manuscripts, language, and religion that moves seamlessly between the Middle Ages and modern Appalachia. Some are closely related (like a cycle on different colors used in illuminated manuscripts or one on different theoretical approaches to theology), others are stand-alone (like a wonderful anagrammatic elegy to the author's grandmother). The overall result is quite bleak, especially on matters of religion, and really terrific. It's been a while since I've enjoyed a poetry book this much.
March 17, 2019
There was such an excellent sense of place and environment in this collection of poems. The language and word choice was beautiful, and the focus on color and nature was particularly well done. It's an exquisite ode to religion and Southern culture. Though I didn't always understand the poems, because I don't have the specific cultural experiences to know what they were saying at all times, I still really appreciated the vivid and sensual imagery Range created. I recommend it as a read for anyone looking to get into more poetry.
December 31, 2022
This book is very finely wrought, with a laser focus: reveling in language, written, spoken, scripted on the page and in our lives. The conversation between medieval monastics and Range's Appalachian contemporaneity is fascinating. I did realize reading it that what I value in poetry is the revelation, the obversation that rings devastatingly true. I was less drawn to some of the poems that involve themselves most deeply with particular manuscripts or illuminations. Interesting, maybe, but niche. Give me the stunning illumination of "Regionalism," "Scriptorium," or "Ofermod"!
April 28, 2018
Poems with spiritual themes fleshed out with vivid images of ancient manuscripts and monks stirring ink inside tree stumps combining deep theological and metaphysical musings with piquant renderings of the eccentric souls and rural landscape of her Appalachian childhood. This will definitely require repeated readings to glean its full measure of goodness.
June 22, 2018
I had some issues with this one. The early poems like "Verdigris" and "A Skiff of Snow" were great. After awhile, Range's poetry started to all seem the same. She is from East Tennessee, and she really doesn't like religion. She likes to use medieval imagery or biblical imagery to express this. Rinse and repeat. Then the last two poems, "Scriptoreum" and "Shell White" were great. (
November 7, 2018
Gorgeous, skilled, thoughtful poetry. Anyone who prefers third person historical poems will love this collection (she writes in first person as well, but largely in third in this book). I also met Melissa in person, and she is one of the nicest, genuine people that I've ever had the privilege of meeting.
July 13, 2019
3.5 stars. There's a lot to like here. I do find her poems reaching for (and usually attaining) cleverness, a trait I find detracts from my enjoyment of a poem. Many of the poems work on a few levels, which is always admirable.
Favorites:
Ashburnham
A skiff of snow
Kermes red
Flat as a flitter
Ofermod
Scriptorium
Favorites:
Ashburnham
A skiff of snow
Kermes red
Flat as a flitter
Ofermod
Scriptorium
July 16, 2017
I don't know if this is really ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ but I was so pleasantly surprised that I actually liked this book because poetry is not really my thing. Any book of poetry that puts centuries old poetry next to a poem with a curse word is evidently my kind of poetry collection though.
April 12, 2021
I love the musicality of the poems in this collection and the superb way the author incorporates the Appalachian mountain dialect and vernacular in several of the poems. My favorites are "Flat as a Flitter," "Hit," "To Swan," "Crooked as a Dog's Hind Leg," and "Regionalism."
July 13, 2022
Range delicately tugs threads of both Appalachia and vernacular shifts in the church with an eye for the holy and strange. Grounded in nature and rhythm, her words are never too proud, just inescapably beautiful and real.
June 18, 2017
One of my all-time favorite books of poetry. My only regret is that Range didn't write it in time for me to read it when I was 14.
August 2, 2017
Beautiful use of language. Plus, it touched on some of my favorite themes--books, dialect, religion, and how they shape our view of the world.
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