Customer Reviews

The Surface of Last Scattering (The X. J. Kennedy Poetry Prize)

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I had the pleasure of listening to Dr. Jacobik at The Sunken Garden Poetry Festival in Ct. this past summer. Her voice is powerful, her gifts great. Perspective, my favorite poem from this latest collection is my favorite, transporting me to a hill side, watching her husband journey home to her. Jacobik's use of language moves me, creating dreamy imagery that lifts me to the places where she dwells, and if only for a moment , I stand side by side with her watching the world unfold through her eyes. Not the stuff of rainy days, this collection begs to be read again and again.

I'm not sure how this book won the X.J. Kennedy Poetry Prize. The collection isn't uneven, I found most of the poetry to be bad or dull. There are two great poems in there: her prose poem "The Wind" and "West of Tucson" and I'd also say "Irish Holiday" is worth noting. This book is nothing like her latest, Brave Disguises, which is a phenomenal book. But I can see in this collection how she is developing the voice and poetics she now has. Be forewarned, there is little narritive or even much linear structure within this volume. The Surface of Last Scattering seems to be saying something, the problem is, I'm not quite sure what. Check out those three poems I mentioned, then just skip to Brave Disguises--you won't be disappointed there.