Tottering State: Poetry for Unsteady Times.

Tottering State #7 marks two recently published titles from Broken Sleep Books concerned with poetic relations between language, belief, politics & the world: Michael Marcinkowski's *Lives of the Saints* (Broken Sleep) & Linda Kemp's *Annunciation Sonnets* (Broken Sleep). They will be joined by John Phillips, whose *Language Being Time* & *The Shape of Faith* (both Shearsman) address similar philosophical questions. Should be a good one!

On *Lives of the Saints*:

Lives of the Saints by Michael Marcinkowski explores poetry's power as it intersects with faith and governance, set against a backdrop of ecological ruin and dystopian futures. In a landscape that blends personal introspection with collective disquiet, Marcinkowski's poems interrogate labor, knowledge, and justice, engaging readers in reimagining societal norms through a transformative leap of faith. By reviving Hopkins' 'sprung rhythm' and melding baroque language with American vernacular, this collection balances between abstraction and concreteness, forming a discourse both resonant and challenging. This work speaks to those drawn to poetry’s political and moral edges, inviting reflections on humanity's tenuous connection to a fragile world.

On *Annunciation Sonnets*:

Annunciation Sonnets climbs out of the frame of the sonnet and through speculative encounters with artworks depicting the annunciation, probes form and rupture. What can be done with and to form, out of suspicion of the form, concerns form, and in re-encountering the annunciation tableaux Linda Kemp steers a poetic encounter into a querying of propositions subtending a language of art.

On John Phillips:

“These poems have no extraneous cargo, they are tight as a duck’s butt. And smart. You could write most of these astute and pristine poems on a post-it note and carry it in your pocket for later use.” —Michael Dennis, on Shape of Faith

“Perhaps Phillips’ greatest accomplishment is how he cast out words that create a reality that, nonetheless, evoke that reality that existed pre-words. I am touching quite briefly on the many marvels within the book’s pages. I recommend you look for this book and inhabit it for yourself. You’ll come out of the experience more enlightened than before you began it.” —Eileen Tabios, on Shape of Faith

“Some poets live deep back, quietly, in far places, still. I love the poetry of my friend, John Phillips. He is a master of the compressed, cut lyric.” —Kent Johnson

“John Phillips writes with a precision, balance & grace that calls to mind the very best of Louis Zukofsky’s short poems, or Creeley’s early period, or Lorine Niedecker’s work. At his best, Phillips is absolutely dazzling.” —Ron Silliman, on Language Is

Bios:

Michael Marcinkowski grew up in Detroit and lives in Bristol. Secretly, he edits *Poetry Theory Review*, but don't tell anyone.

Linda Kemp’s other poetry books are Stitch (Contraband, 2020) and Lease Prise Redux (Materials, 2016).

John Phillips was born in St. Ives, Cornwall and is the author of Heretic (Longhouse, 2016), What Shape Sound (Skysill Press, 2011) andLanguage Is (Sardines Press, 2005), as well as a number of chapbooks. He now lives in Slovenia.

Entry requirements: no age restrictions — Read more — Read less