Split the Crow

by Sarah Sousa

Split the Crow covers the terrain of othering, fear, violence, and oppression as historic realities of our young country. Beginning in New England during the ‘contact period’ between European settlers and Native North Americans in the mid 1600s, and weaving together both narrative and lyric, the poems tell of Mary Rowlandson’s captivity and forced march through New England during King Phillip’s War, catalogues Native American burial grounds, grave goods and their significance, and marks the near-decimation of native northeastern culture. The collection migrates south and moves forward in time, covering the forced expulsion of the five civilized tribes from ancestral land, forced schooling of Native American children, and the way oppression of a people can result not only in the decimation of their culture but in cultural shame and amnesia, as well as environmental degradation.

Genres: Poetry

84 pages, ebook

First published January 6, 2015

About the author

Sarah Sousa is the author of the poetry collections See the Wolf (2018): Split the Crow (2015) and Church of Needles (2014) She also edited and transcribed The Diary of Esther Small, 1886 (2014) which won the New England Book Festival Award for Regional Literature. Her poems have appeared in the Massachusetts Review, Fourteen Hills, the Southern Poetry Review, Verse Daily and Tupelo Quarterly, among others. She has a sonnet forthcoming in the collaborative artist’s book Mother Monument. Her honors include a Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Fellowship, the Anne Halley Prize, and a Massachusetts Cultural Council Fellowship. She is the founding editor of the former alternative mini lit mag Queen of Cups and is a member of the board of directors of Perugia Press.

Reviews

[Paige Zeigler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm in awe of Sarah Sousa. I was hooked from the opening poem called "Her Moods Caused Owls," when she writes:
Once there was a girl who spoke
garlands; blossoms unspooled
from her mouth. Confused,
she tried to flee her own fecundity.
And her fear caused gardens.

I'm swallowing a story
that ends with blood-stained snow.
I know how this looks.
It appears to be true.
//
I feel it in my heart. I can't wait to devour her other work.

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the opportunity to listen to Sarah read and offer historical references and inspirations to her work. I highly recommend this book, dark yet delicious.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading all these poems. I would love to read more by Sarah Sousa

[Mel · Rating 5 out of 5]

heartbreaking and stunning. THE MYTH OF FISH

[Brenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sarah Sousa's poetry is sometimes a little dark as it deals with how illnesses and death came to Native Peoples in the 1800's, but it is beautifully written. Using both lyrical and narrative writing, Sousa memorably brings to life the past. She doesn't hide behind any embellishment, but is straightforward and well spoken throughout the whole set of poems in Split The Crow.

****this book was received through a Booklikes giveaway given by the author, in exchange for a
fair review.****

[Valerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed Sarah Sousa's collection of poems, received in a Goodreads giveaway. The prose is cleverly written and the theme of Native American history weaved throughout is fascinating, although not always comfortable to read. Everytime I thought I had read my favourite piece, another came along. A superb book of poetry that deserves to be a great success and an easy five star review.

[Gabrielle Sinclair · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an amazing book. I recommend this book to anyone who like poetry and appreciates art. I will keep this book for years to come so that one day I can read it to my children when they are old enough.

[Louise · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this via good reads and read it but I have to admit I did enjoy some of the poems but others I really did not like nor understand to well. Nevertheless it was well written just not to my overall taste.

[A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, a really imaginative, provoking, and researched collection. I was a little uncomfortable with the poems in Native voices (because their voices were being brought out by a white woman; I would rather see this coming from a Native voice. But I did like how she engaged with Mary Rowlandson), but otherwise I found the poems really lovely. This is my second Sarah Sousa book and I have enjoyed them both immensely.