Inspired by a voracious curiosity about humans and other subjects, the poems in Heather Christle's What Is Amazing describe and invent worlds in an attempt to understand through participation. The book draws upon the wisdom of foolishness and the logic of glee, while simultaneously exploring the suffering inherent to embodied consciousness. Speakers play out moments of bravado and fear, love and mortality, disappointment and desire. They socialize incorrigibly with lakes, lovers, fire, and readers, reasoning their way to unreasonable conclusions. These poems try to understand how it is that we come to recognize and differentiate objects and beings, how wholly each is attached to its name, and which space reveals them. What Is Amazing delights in fully inhabiting its varied forms and voices, singing worlds that often coincide with our own.

Heather Christle

The Seaside! Self-Portrait with Fire Teamwork Should Come from the Soul 3 If You Go into the Woods You Will Find It Has a Technology People Are a Living Structure Like a Coral Reef Moss Does Not Love Other Moss No Light and No Hands An Activity How Like an Island More of Form Is More of Content It Is Like Surgery But It Is Not Surgery Talk Radio Taxonomy of That November Way out in the Country I'll Be Me and You Be Goethe More Swans and More Women Such a Lovely Garden Wallpaper Everywhere Even the Ceiling We Are Not Getting Anywhere The Small Husband Bash Saturday It Feels Like It Is on Purpose Up Again with the Night The Angry Faun In Accordance The Spider Difficulties I Am Coming Over A Very Remarkable Story And Then We Clap Ourselves Together What Is Amazing What Will Grow Here Happy and Glorious Parking Lot Go and Play Outside Some Combinations I will Know You by Your Red Carnation Ladies a Basket Last Time I Wore This Sweater For Henri To Do Infinitives Route 109 Classic Hook Shape Under the Moon the Knocking Directly at the Sun A Long Life Basic All Things Bright and Beautiful Acknowledgments