Partial Genius

by Mary Biddinger

What happens when you finally realize that you are really good, but only at unremarkable things? What value does memory hold when weighed against heavier commodities such as money and time and conventional beauty? The prose poems of Partial Genius build upon the form in a collective narrative, working in unison to craft a larger story. Post-youth and mid-epiphany, Partial Genius ponders the years spent waiting for reconciliation of past wrongs, the acknowledgment of former selves, and the desire to truly fit into one landscape or another.

"'How many days since you began your last panic…?' Mary Biddinger asks in her latest collection. Quirky, imaginative, and wry in tone, PARTIAL GENIUS is a book that thwarts expectation, turns convention on its head, surprises and delights. Within a narrative scaffolded like a twisting stairway or maze-like hall, these fascinating poems feature high school reunions, job interviews, broken dioramas, and birth control pills; they showcase apologies, parlor games, and consolation prizes, intricacies, illusions, and tricks. Comfort is found in a bar of bathroom soap. An assistant manager wonders why a blazer is named for fire. A radio is implanted in the chest as a companion to the heart. Spheres of uncertainty juxtaposed against landscapes of failure create the book's complex beauty and dangerous edge, as Biddinger claims, 'The best part of figure skating was getting cut.' PARTIAL GENIUS comes to us as both a study of despair and a gleaming beacon of hope."—Jennifer Militello

Genres: Poetry

60 pages, Paperback

Published August 15, 2019

About the author

Mary Biddinger is a poet and flash fiction writer who lives in Akron, Ohio. Her novella-in-flash, The Girl with the Black Lipstick, was published by Black Lawrence Press in July 2025. She is co-editor, with Julie Brooks Barbour, of A Mollusk Without a Shell: Essays on Self-Care for Writers (University of Akron Press, 2024). Biddinger teaches literature and creative writing at the University of Akron and in the NEOMFA program.

Reviews

[M Delea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am getting behind in my review postings, but not my #TheSealeyChallenge reading!

This marvelous book was my Day 15 book, and it made me laugh loud and often (and many times in public). This collection is all prose poems, all with stanza/paragraphs, and most with 5 of those. There are no sections in this book, and in this case, sections would have been strange.

There is a lot about being an outsider, especially as a teen and as a young adult. The poems are surreal (somewhat), and are not linear or narrative, although they do end up providing very powerful images. True lyric poems. Lots of great metaphors, and many pop culture references (but if you never heard of the movie, The Craft, or had a TAB, no worries--you won't be lost). And fun! If you know of a high school student who struggles to fit in, be themselves, love themselves, etc., and they are smart and full of good humor, and you are not uptight about a little cursing/sex, BUY THEM THIS BOOK! And if you ever felt like you did not belong, especially due to being a nerdy/book-loving/poetry-writing girl, BUY YOURSELF THIS BOOK!

I had to stop myself from writing down so many favorite poems and lines, because I would have ended up listing almost everything.

Favorite poems: The Jolly Anchor, Apology Tour, The Subject Pool. Partial Credit Syndrome, Most Beloved Roles, Damaging Myths, The Wrong Idea, The Blue Note, Zero Tolerance Policy, History Tour, Song of the French Club President, Painting, and the title poem.

A few favorite bits, and this will give you a great idea into how much fun these poems are:

"Sometimes I Have a dream of walking onto a stage of an amphitheater, thronged by fans of my intellectual property. And then I realize it's just another job interview."
--Skill Games

"The yearbook would declare me most witchy, but that was due to my AP chemistry scores."
--The Craft

"Sometimes my hair wakes me up."
--Consolation Prize

"It was like booking a room in a hotel, then sitting in the lobby all night."
--Your So-Called Wife

"My goal was to become a woman who smelled like candles."
--Shared Governance

"I always had twelve pens or none."
--Untamed Thickets

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the charming and astonishing prose poems of Mary Biddinger’s Partial Genius, the eccentric and brilliant speaker takes readers on a wild, vividly detailed ride through an intergenerational extravaganza. How can one not love the long, breathless, and undulating lines of such poems as “Favorite Haints,” where “The cashier at the motel kept asking me about my favorite haints. The poor thing didn’t know what she was getting into, and I believe her Chihuahua grew aged and anemic halfway through my account, which included gestures that were fueled by the Tab she offered me, and the generous nature of an avocado vinyl chair where my bones fit perfectly like I, too, was created in 1965 as part of a mass market venture bringing the present day’s style to the corners of the country that usually relied upon old staples such as the folding chair or prefabricated porch lounger.” My absolute favorite poem in the collection, however, is undoubtedly “The Craft,” with its magical ivy “that kept me safe from the cheerleaders,” and especially, its killer line, “The yearbook voted me most witchy, but that was due to my AP chemistry scores.” Partial Genius? More like total genius. I loved this delightful book!

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got to meet Mary and hear her speak, and she is a totally delightful and creative person. I enjoyed this collection, but have to say that I think some of it was lost on me. She does have some spectacular lines, and I would definitely consider a book of more traditional poetry style. She did inspire me to write a story based on her format, so that was cool.

[Deb · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although I gave Mary Biddinger's Partial Genius a low score, I think the fault lies with me, not the book.

I mostly dislike prose poetry, and that is certainly not Ms. Biddinger's fault. I'm not sure why it doesn't grab me, since I do like other types of poetry, but there you go. And I can see that Ms. Biddinger is talented, even though her work is not my cup of tea.

If you like prose poetry, you should give this book a try. And, if you would be so kind to point out to me what makes it shine for you, I'd be delighted.

[NewPages]

I’ve had Mary Biddinger’s Partial Genius on my “to-read” shelf of my bookcase for two years now. While participating in this year’s Sealy Challenge—reading 31 books of poetry in 31 days—I finally was able to sit down and read it (and reread it).

Book Review by Katy Haas.

Read the full review at our blog.

[H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic

[Brianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prose poetry baffles me, but I loved reading this book.