Nest

by Ed Madden

Poetry. Limited-edition hand-tied chapbook, Number Five in the inaugural Summer Kitchen Series from Seven Kitchens Press.

Genres: Poetry

25 pages, Paperback

First published July 31, 2010

About the author

An associate professor of English at USC, Ed Madden is the author of three books of poetry, most recently Nest (Salmon 2014). His work also appears in Best New Poets 2007 and elsewhere. He is also the editor of Out Loud: The Best of Rainbow Radio. In January 2015, he was named the Poet Laureate of the City of Columbia, South Carolina.

Reviews

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have often said, though it bears repeating, that Ed Madden is one of our best living poets and this book simply confirms that opinion. Here, he uses his powers of evocation and place as he travels Ireland, though he returns to his roots in the South and his religious upbringing. He finds magic and memory in the everyday of ordinary life as well as the grandest cathedrals and finds home deep within himself rather than an external place. Highly recommended.

[Jenny (Reading Envy) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This tiny chapbook of poems from a South Carolina poet focus on boyhood sexuality, connections between childhood and adulthood, and are very open and honest in their memories.

My favorite was "Sexual history, with action figures."

We dream of things Hasbro never intended.

[Terri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Madden remains one of my favorite contemporary poets. Nest is an excellent addition to his catalogue. The poems explore love, travel, commitment, coming of age, grief, loss, reconcilement...

My favorite was An Old Pew. Such an amazing, moving poem. The various poems titled Nest, taken together, also tell a compelling story (I especially loved the one about the wasp nests). Highly recommended.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like to note the poems I enjoyed most, so, here's a listing:
Dragonfly, Beetle; Genealogy: Unidentified Man in a Photograph; When I Left; Calling; Chosen; Jubilate; The Language of Flowers; Without; Fishing Off the Kona Coast; Field Guides, Big Island; To Get to Cow Lake; Still #2; Jewels of Opar; Early Morning 40th Birthday; Epithalamion; Counterpane; An Old Pew.