The Inquisition Yours

(Paperback)

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Winner of the Audre Lorde Award for Lesbian Poetry!

A finalist for the Dorothy Livesay Prize and the Lambda Literary Award!

In her ambitious follow-up to Hagiography, acclaimed poet Jen Currin continues her unique exploration of the surrealist lyric, constructing a strong case that, in these frightening times, it may be the best poetic mode for capturing the complexities of lived experience. In tongues alternately vulnerable, defiant, resigned and hopeful, The Inquisition Yours speaks to the atrocities of our time war, environmental destruction, terrorism, cancer and the erosion of personal rights fashioning a tenuous bridge between the political and the personal. Trying to make sense of a world where even language is 'a danger,' Currins poems reject the old storylines in favor of a vigilant awareness, and wonder what might happen if we 'change the feared penmanship' and embrace a narrative that empowers everyone.

Reviews

'Jen Currin writes eloquently; she writes fervently - she writes irony and truth with alarming ease ... Anyone who wants to write will find this book an absolute joy to read.' -- Geist Magazine 'Currin's poetry ... leaves us dazed and amazed at the jumble of words upon the page that fall together like so much confetti in a celebratory parade of language. We are to emerge ... with the sense that we have taken a journey to an exotic land.' -- Prairie Fire Reivew of Books 'Currin updates longstanding surrealist tropes -- dreamscapes, disjointed images -- with lines that would have been unthinkable to Andre Breton ... This is a new poetry for a new century.' -- Xtra! 'The pieces are minimalist and sharp, with a dark sense of humour ... Though Currin's surreal style invites multiple interpretations, her vivid imagery and intense storytelling make it easy for the reader to connect with these poems.' -- Shameless Magazine

Author Bio

Jen Currin was born and raised in Portland, Oregon, and did her schooling at Bard College, Arizona State University and Simon Fraser University. She has published three collections of poetry, The Sleep of Four Cities (Anvil Press, 2005), Hagiography (Coach House, 2008) and The Inquisition Yours (Coach House, 2010). She currently lives in Vancouver, where she teaches writing and literature.