origin story: poems

by Gary Jackson

origin story outlines a family history of distant sisters, grieving mothers and daughters, and alcoholic fathers. These poems take us from Kansas to Korea and back again in an attempt to reconnect with estranged family and familial ghosts divided by years of diaspora. An interrogation of cultural and personal myths, origin story wrestles with the Who will remember us? How do we deal with the failures of memory? Whose stories are told?

Genres: Poetry

104 pages, Paperback

First published July 20, 2021

About the author

WINNER OF THE CAVE CANEM POETRY PRIZE, SELECTED BY YUSEF KOMUNYAKAA

GARY JACKSON was born and raised in Topeka, Kansas. He received his MFA from the University of New Mexico and has taught in Albuquerque and in Anyang, South Korea."

Reviews

[Liz Derrington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jackson’s debut—Missing You, Metropolis—was a tough act to follow, but it was arguably just warming readers up for the headliner that is origin story. The title can be read as a play on comic book themes, and there are poems that carry on that thread from the previous collection, but it also speaks to the profound family history Jackson plumbs in poems like the gut-punch opener, “holoprosencephaly (hŏl’ō-prŏs’ěn-sěf'əlē).” The poet notes in the acknowledgements that the book belongs to his mother, Kim, as much as it does to him, and that isn’t merely an affectionate gesture: a dozen poems are carved out of transcribed interviews with Kim—born to an African American father and a Korean mother—while others are addressed or quietly speak to her, such that her presence shapes the collection, even in her absence. Still other poems answer naïve questions about race relations (“Isn’t it / getting better?”) with narratives showing sharp-edged facets of the experiences of a Black man in twenty-first century America (and, occasionally, South Korea). This poignant, wise, and provocative collection is a must-read.

[Amie Whittemore · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have no idea how this book came into my life, but it is exquisite. An interesting exploration of family history, generational trauma, loss, and connection. Highly recommend!