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Princeton Series of Contemporary Poets
The River Twice: Poems
An impressive new collection from a poet whose previous book was a finalist for both the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award
Taking its title from Heraclitus's most famous fragment, The River Twice is an elegiac meditation on impermanence and change. The world presented in these poems is a fluid one in which so much―including space and time, the subterranean realm of dreams, and language itself―seems protean, as the speaker's previously familiar understanding of the self and the larger systems around it gives way. Kathleen Graber’s poems wander widely, from the epistolary to the essayistic, shuffling the remarkable and unremarkable flotsam of contemporary life. One thought, one memory, one bit of news flows into the next. Yet, in a century devoted to exponentially increasing speed, The River Twice unfolds at the slow pace of a river bend. While the warm light of ideas and things flashes upon the surface, that which endures remains elusive―something glimpsed only for an instant before it is gone.
Taking its title from Heraclitus's most famous fragment, The River Twice is an elegiac meditation on impermanence and change. The world presented in these poems is a fluid one in which so much―including space and time, the subterranean realm of dreams, and language itself―seems protean, as the speaker's previously familiar understanding of the self and the larger systems around it gives way. Kathleen Graber’s poems wander widely, from the epistolary to the essayistic, shuffling the remarkable and unremarkable flotsam of contemporary life. One thought, one memory, one bit of news flows into the next. Yet, in a century devoted to exponentially increasing speed, The River Twice unfolds at the slow pace of a river bend. While the warm light of ideas and things flashes upon the surface, that which endures remains elusive―something glimpsed only for an instant before it is gone.
- GenresPoetry
112 pages, Hardcover
Published September 10, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
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June 4, 2023lots of thoughts and great quotes in this one
December 4, 2024
w o w ❣️
September 11, 2024
These poems were creative and unpredictable. Graber took her poems to places you would never expect. Each poem had a very "stream of consciousness" feel to it which I enjoyed.
August 11, 2026
I read “America [Peaches]” and immediately loved it so much that I had to order a copy of this book (which does not happen often for me). Graber offers a number of “America [_____]” poems, where she directly addresses her country, and for the most part, those were my favorites. The poems are long and dense, but worth the effort to navigate through—there are so many gems of language and ideas here. A really fantastic book of poetry.
I read this book of poetry as part of the 2026 Sealey Challenge, so here’s some extra info and stats:
Number of pages: 98
Number of poems: 34
Minutes of reading time: 103
Number of poems that made me smile: n/a
Number of poems that made me cry: 3 (“New Year,” “The Year of the Horse,” “America [superstorm]”)
Number of quotes saved: 52
Favorite quote:
America, I have a friend for whom everything went south
after the death of her cat. It seems melodramatic
& hyperbolic to say so, though sometimes
even the melodramatic & hyperbolic are true.
Favorite poem: “America [Assateague]”
Other favorites: “America [peaches],” “America [flight],” “New Year,” “Labyrinth,” “America [October]”
Sealey Challenge bingo criteria—Re-read a poem: “America [Peaches]”
Sealey Challenge bingo criteria—Pop culture poem: “Beginner’s Mind”
Sealey Challenge bingo criteria—Most delicious opening line: “The Zeitgeist Bird”
Sealey Challenge bingo criteria—Poem dedicated to someone: “Passage”
I read this book of poetry as part of the 2026 Sealey Challenge, so here’s some extra info and stats:
Number of pages: 98
Number of poems: 34
Minutes of reading time: 103
Number of poems that made me smile: n/a
Number of poems that made me cry: 3 (“New Year,” “The Year of the Horse,” “America [superstorm]”)
Number of quotes saved: 52
Favorite quote:
America, I have a friend for whom everything went south
after the death of her cat. It seems melodramatic
& hyperbolic to say so, though sometimes
even the melodramatic & hyperbolic are true.
Favorite poem: “America [Assateague]”
Other favorites: “America [peaches],” “America [flight],” “New Year,” “Labyrinth,” “America [October]”
Sealey Challenge bingo criteria—Re-read a poem: “America [Peaches]”
Sealey Challenge bingo criteria—Pop culture poem: “Beginner’s Mind”
Sealey Challenge bingo criteria—Most delicious opening line: “The Zeitgeist Bird”
Sealey Challenge bingo criteria—Poem dedicated to someone: “Passage”
January 6, 2025
Graber has such a powerful understanding of the interconnectedness of life. These poems are fragmentary, scattered with non sequiturs and heady references, but there is always a gut wrenching throughline. I particularly enjoyed the series of poems addressed to America as well as the self portraits.
February 10, 2020
You can read my giddy review here: https://www.usi.edu/sir/amie-whittemo...
March 22, 2020
powerful, meandering poems that take you everywhere, and then bring you back.
August 8, 2022
Small segments of a number of poems resonated with me, but not so much any poems in their entirety.
February 25, 2025
This is a brilliant collection deeply invested in the relationships between language, landscapes, and internal and external griefs.
Beautiful formally and able to sustain big associative leaps.
Beautiful formally and able to sustain big associative leaps.
April 2, 2020
4.25 stars
While I didn't love every poem in this collection, I was very impressed overall. These poems have a maximalist feel, and are also very conversational. Also: thoroughly researched. I don't know if I've ever seen such an extensive notes section for a poetry collection before.
The "America [ ]" series of poems are very successful, "A Rhetoric" not so much. The latter felt a little too Political PoemTM for my taste. My favorite poem was "Impasto for the Parietal," which alludes to ancient cave paintings. I think it's the best distillation of Graber's themes and techniques.
Definitely worth checking this collection out, and I'm sure it will be rewarding upon a re-read. Perhaps I will write a longer blog post about these poems when I do so. A nice start to National Poetry Month!
While I didn't love every poem in this collection, I was very impressed overall. These poems have a maximalist feel, and are also very conversational. Also: thoroughly researched. I don't know if I've ever seen such an extensive notes section for a poetry collection before.
The "America [ ]" series of poems are very successful, "A Rhetoric" not so much. The latter felt a little too Political PoemTM for my taste. My favorite poem was "Impasto for the Parietal," which alludes to ancient cave paintings. I think it's the best distillation of Graber's themes and techniques.
Definitely worth checking this collection out, and I'm sure it will be rewarding upon a re-read. Perhaps I will write a longer blog post about these poems when I do so. A nice start to National Poetry Month!
August 16, 2020
First read: August 16, 2020, Sunday
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews