Gut: Poems

by J. Bailey Hutchinson

Winner, 2022 Miller Williams Poetry Prize J. Bailey Hutchinson’s Gut is the dazzling debut of a born storyteller. In Hutchinson’s poems, which explore the substance of personal history, family attains the mysterious stature of folklore, while the vast worlds of nature and of the imagination abound with extraordinary creatures that likewise elude full understanding. For the voracious consciousness at work here, inheritance—what it means to be from a particular place and a particular people, no matter how one might strain against that—lies at the very heart of things.

Genres: Poetry

100 pages, Paperback

Published March 1, 2022

Reviews

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunning and bone-gnawingly visceral. Can’t wait for more poetry from J. Bailey Hutchinson.

[silas denver melvin · Rating 5 out of 5]

good goddamn

[Bess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly special poetry collection.
Visceral, memorable; bite-sized southern gothic (but I wouldn't wanna chew it). I don't normally read much poetry, but this was a treat for me.

[Katie Harbinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

an absolute gd treat

[Meaghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 rounded up.

This was a solid collection of poems. Many are robust with emotion and pack a punch, and Hutchinson's use of language is masterful.

My favorites:
-"Things Dying & Where" (the first one in the book)
-"Big Dark"
-"Ouroboros as Eight-Year-Old"
-"Eat"
-"J. Bailey Hutchinson Takes Plan B in Marseille"
-"Obituary"
-"Barbara"
-"Self-Portrait as Haruno Sakura, Kunoichi of Konohagakure"
-"Poem Written as Barter for $75.00 in Outstanding Bills"
-"Tennessee Wildman"
-"Self-Portrait as Lin, Who Knows the Bathhouse"

[Devon :~) · Rating 4 out of 5]

some great poems! I didn’t love it all BUT I was so glad to be reading something that I connected with regionally. Here are favs + stuff I generally marked

Favs: Became, My Body, Too; Dog Not Deer

Also liked: Big Dark; Eat; Obituary; The Butcher’s Granddaughter; Lineage

[Colten · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whelp. This was a lot and very good but it is also a ride. I loved some poems and couldn't care for others, but as a collection it really had a cohesive tone and I respect that.
TW: animal death.

[Gianna Garza · Rating 4 out of 5]

i definitely have to revisit this

[Peter Mason · Rating 5 out of 5]

A phenomenal debut! This book of poetry is one of my favorites--it is deeply moving. These poems pull you in with their lush language and vital and urgent conversations.

[Allyson Sheehan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of poems mostly about dead animals and sometimes about girls from anime. I had a slightly easier time with this than my last poetry-for-my-phone pick.