Improbable Creatures

by Jon Davis

Poetry. Jon Davis's latest book of poems is bursting with signature inventiveness and the nimble lyricism that David Foster Wallace once praised as "off-the-charts terrific." Like the characters of a new alphabet, Davis's creatures form the language of this stunning collection. Some of his creatures vault from the page, playful proxies for his surprising insights. Others encrypt the poems with a supernatural intensity, like "the darkness leaning its black fur against the windows." And from them emerge new meanings for words we only thought we knew—of plumage, of song, of nest.

Paperback

Published January 1, 2017

About the author

Jon Davis is the author of five chapbooks and six books of poetry; he has received numerous awards, including a Lannan Literary Award, two National Endowment for the Arts Fellowships, and the Lavan Younger Poets Award from the Academy of American Poets. He earned his MFA from the University of Montana, and founded and directed the low-residency MFA in creative writing at the Institute of American Indian Arts. In 2012, he was selected as Poet Laureate of Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Reviews

[Kylie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve never read anything like this collection.