Oxidane

Description

Giving voice to these invisible girls, Matos’ narrator tells a story of fierce, maternal love forging a familial bond, as beautiful and loyal as it is corrosive. This eulogy is an intimate, unapologetic conversation “like chess by mail” that sneaks up and stuns us. We are told, “You will need an axe for what is coming next.” Tenacious, neglected, tender, these girls redefine family and make us consider what we’re willing to do for the people we love. —Liz Whiteacre, author of Hit the Ground “Coming alive is terrible,” the speaker of Oxidane warns. She is terribly loyal, a tiny teen bodyguard driven by “compulsive solidarity” to protect her “empyrean and unnameable” friend. Packed with hard truths and witty observations of adolescent friendship, these narrative poems are heavy as a garden hose in winter and yet still “looped in sparking arcs” of language. You will want to know these girls, tame them, drink them back in. —Sara Tracey, author of Some Kind of Shelter Refracting through webs of fractured ice, Matos’ vignettes illuminate the shades of what it means to feel too much. Longing, cruelty, and transcendence intertwine as our narrator, her dark partner, and You, their Muse, drift just below the surface of failed institutions and absent authority, pushing against the thin but unbreakable skin that separates our need for release from our need to belong. —Matt Mullins, author of Three Ways of the Saw Oxidane has the reach of taut flash fiction fiction and the punch of expertly crafted poetry. It is a truly hybrid animal you’ll think about running from—but you'll find yourself running towards it. —J. Bradley, author of The Bones of Us Review: Worth the Read - Oxidane is a shining example of narrative in poetry done well. The story is that of three girls, each with distinct voices and distinct roles in their friends circle, who go on a journey to help each other and themselves. The writing is smart and vivid, the poems are condensed and concise, and the structure of the book itself does wonders for its fluidity. Told chronologically and split into two distinct sections, this chapbook is a quick read that you'll find yourself consuming in one go - and then flipping back to the beginning and starting again. I've read it three or four times by now, and not only do I find a new line or poem to appreciate each time, I still enjoy it, too. Review: invigorating the reader experience - Gorgeous writing! “Oxidane” stimulated my imagination like experiencing a vivid dream.