Glow

by Ann Hudson

Ann Hudson's Glow investigates the mystery of radium : the vision of Marie Curie who discovered it through labor and sheer will; its rise to fame as a health craze; the critically important work it did for the medical field; and its widespread use in luminescent paint which made watches glow in the dark. But Glow is also an investigation into what makes us tick, our curiosities, ambition, and our sense of purposeful work. These poems explore how one luminous substance-the hunt for it, the search for its secrets and powers-can be understood as a life force of its own, even as it has the power to whittle that life force to nothing. These poems show radium as destructive as it is illuminating .

Genres: Poetry

46 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2021

Reviews

[Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This chapbook about Marie Curie and radium is such an interesting read! It ranges from the work of Marie Curie, the uses of radium, and it’s devastating effect that predominantly impacted young women. It’s thoroughly researched and that shines through the poems.

[Hannah VanderHart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Luminous. Glow opens the history of Marie Curie and radium with tenderness and curiosity. A beautiful new book of documentary poetics, historical work, and that deep attention only poets can bring.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous poetry spanning the years and miles from Marie and Pierre Curie discovering radium in their shabby Parisian workshop, to rural Illinois where young women sicken and die from radium poisoning, to the aftermath of the radioactive half life.