Dregs

by Cynthia Cruz

Like a series of slides from a film reel, the poems of Dregs reveal the ruin, remnants or dregs left over from the wars and economic and human inequalities of our world today. Praise for The Glimmering Room: “…an exquisite fever dream of drugs, anorexia and unwanted sex (in both senses of the word) populated by young women and men…who have lost all sense of where the edge is….” —Dana Jennings, New York Times

Genres: Poetry

68 pages, Paperback

First published September 4, 2018

About the author

Cynthia Cruz is the author of Ruin (Alice James Books) as well as The Glimmering Room, Wunderkammer and How the End Begins (all from Four Way Books). She is the recipient of fellowships from Yaddo, the MacDowell Colony, and a Hodder Fellowship. An essayist and art writer, her first collection of essays, Notes Toward a New Language is forthcoming. She teaches at Sarah Lawrence College and is currently a doctoral student in Germanic Language and Literature.

Reviews

[Tenno · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes you come across a poem you know will stick with you for the rest of your life. "White Room" is a poem like that. Cruz's sound seems like it will manifest itself off the page--I was hooked immediately by the sibilance that runs from sanitarium to ambulance. The line break following What a beautiful room, she said / To die in. That's how to do it. I won't spoil the premise.
There were other spectacular poems in this little book, but "White Room" was my favorite.
Cruz has a static style that makes some of the work blur together. I'd like to see her play more. I'll certainly be checking.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m very glad I read these small poems. The turns of phrases she would often use seemed very surprising and thought provoking to me. The poems I had some difficulty with - not the poet’s fault. They were just a bit of a struggle for me.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like heavy water particles coursing through my neurons

[Mike · Rating 2 out of 5]

The title is fitting.

[hh · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5