Contains Mild Peril

by Fran Lock

Contains Mild Peril is a book permeated by anxiety, not fatal threat, but the ambient manic hum of daily life. Precarity does something to us at the level of language; it shapes the ways we see and say. Our current climate political, environmental, economic engenders its own nervy music. These poems channel this collective apprehension in ways both deeply personal and instantly familiar. It is a collection that abounds in loss, in a sense of being lost, and in the gnawing fear of losing, yet its speakers address us with urgency. This is language in the throes of fighting back.

Genres: Poetry

155 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 10, 2020

Reviews

[Bob Comparda]

"Do you believe that unluck gathers unluck to itself? I do. The dirty snowball that results is family, or love."

[Susannah]

Rock and roll but also deep, thought provoking. A poetic shout.

[Tôpher Mills]

With every book Fran Lock seems to be shifting up a gear into further realms of modernism. This book seems to be pushing at the boundaries of what it is possible to understand. The small, dense type also makes this her most difficult book so far. So many poems are simply brilliant and captivating that it can seem like a let down when you have to struggle to get through the occasional poem. There is a feeling here that she's losing herself in an idea of poetry that isn't right for her. I'm not sure I know what I mean by that! Wherever her poetry takes her and us, I am still completely enthralled by this daring, intense and vivid poetical journey. Anyone interested in modern poetry should be reading her.

[Becca]

Reading this collection was like stepping into a warm static buzz. Highly recommend. I enjoyed the final section most, particularly 'Sailing from Jökulmaer' and 'micheál / osiris'.

[Caspar "moved to storygraph" Bryant]

incredible, a thicket, a landscape. fran lock right up there, this is what I like to see

[Alexandru]

wow really gorgeous collection of poems
can't recommend it enough

i have maany favorites but as a whole it is such a great blend of whimsy and real that builds up to a powerful ending. <333