A striking, full-length debut collection from Virgin Islands-born
poet Nicole Sealey
The
existential magnitude, deep intellect, and playful subversion of St.
Thomas-born, Florida-raised poet Nicole Sealey’s work is restless
in its empathic, succinct examination and lucid awareness of what it
means to be human.
The
ranging scope of inquiry undertaken in Ordinary
Beast—at times
philosophical, emotional, and experiential—is evident in each
thrilling twist of image by the poet. In brilliant, often ironic
lines that move from meditation to matter of fact in a single beat,
Sealey’s voice is always awake to the natural world, to the pain
and punishment of existence, to the origins and demises of humanity.
Exploring notions of race, sexuality, gender, myth, history, and
embodiment with profound understanding, Sealey’s is a poetry that
refuses to turn a blind eye or deny. It is a poetry of daunting
knowledge.
