Poetry. "There is a quiet self-possession and maturity of vision in this volume that characterizes all of its poems; yet at the same time they range widely, addressing subjects as various as Neolithic customs, Whitman's career as a Civil War nurse, the physiology of cetaceans, and a Muslim's stealthy visit to an adult bookstore. The author is also capable of writing sly accounts of family history and a Cold War childhood that seem archetypal rather than generic, that show evidence of a strong social conscience that never devolves to cant. TRACTION is an altogether impressive book of great tonal and formal range"—David Wojahn.

Traction

Literature & Fiction

Makofske, Mary

Poetry

Ashland Poetry Press

Disappearance of Gargoyles

Thorntree Pr

Mary Makofske's big-heartedness is matched only by the capaciousness of her imagination-and surely the two are twinned-her ability to imagine her way into the experiences and perceptions of so many and such different others-a suicide bomber, an enslaved woman, a night guard at a concentration camp among them-as vividly as she renders her own daily and deeply personal experiences. If there are no angels, there are at least poets like Makofske, who bear witness, empathize, illumine, show us how it is to be alive and fully human in times like ours. -Cecilia Woloch, Tsigan: The Gypsy Poem In No Angels, Mary Makofske explores manifold facets of loss, from extinct species to extinguished languages down to the frailty of loved ones. Throughout, she finds hope in what perseveres: her garden's swelling squash and kale is resilient in the face of grim history, as is a catbird unreeling its repertoire, an olive tree tenacious even in a conflict zone, her grandson learning the alphabet when the poet is fed up with the limitations of words. All of these prove the world will endure, and maybe even that loss and separation are myths: "the name/ of the tree that straddles/ a border may change from one/ language to another, but its roots/ are anchored in the same earth." Makofske is both wise and a master of the language, a delight to read as always. -Stephen Cramer, Bone Music (Louise Bogan Award) The remarkable poems of No Angels rivet and rattle as they delve into the conundrums and uncertainties of human life in the American Anthropocene. Their vibrant, tensile images flex open to unexpected backstories; while the metaphors are luminous, the underbellies they reveal are often dark, even when speckled with delight. With radiant clarity and meticulous craft, Mary Makofske traces a lineage of damage and repair through her family, her nation, the natural world, and "this most recent dread disease," asking herself and the reader how to live the single life you have when "no one has found the antidote to history." -J. C. Todd, Beyond Repair

No Angels

Kelsay Books

Mary Makofske pays keen attention to the arresting details of the physical world and reflects on life—both personal and public—in mature, finely-crafted, intelligent poems that range from charming to poignant, witty to fierce, intimate to philosophical. World Enough, and Time is rich with “birth songs and keening, / the music that plays while the god / is torn and eaten, / the forces that hold the world / together and blow it apart.” 
 Ellen Bass, author of Like a Beggar and The Human Line 
 I read Mary Makofske's fourth collection, World Enough, and Time, with unqualified enthusiasm and can't recommend it highly enough. These are necessary poems, urgent and vital, when global climate change means the very title is ironic. Now, when “the world comes to a slow boil,” she gives us words “illicit as refugees / crossing the border at midnight.” Makofske knows how to find “the text submerged / in the rasp of sea against beach,” knows how to “fish for sense below the surface.” This is work from a mature writer at the top of her game, no filler, just poems you need to read, over and over. I look forward to what comes next from this glorious writer. 
 Barbara Crooker, author of Small Rain and Barbara Crooker: Selected Poems 
 It is impossible to read Mary Makofske’s collection without being dazzled by her voracious appetite for life. She is an observer, a reporter, a guide, a participant. Family, photos, art, childhood, war, the neighborhood with its trees and gardens—all grist for this poet’s pen. Makofske not only devours life but also practices her craft with the skill of someone who knows what she’s doing. While journeying through this collection, readers will be always aware of “Time's / wingéd chariot slowed to a cruise upstream / on a leisurely river with plenty of stops / along the shore.” 
 Diane Lockward, author of The Uneaten Carrots of Atonement and The Crafty Poet II: A Portable Workshop

World Enough, and Time

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