Overview

Dana DeFranco's book, Place in Space is full of confident, high-flying percussive poetry that would make Gertrude Stein swoon. Often delicious, always vibrant, Place in Space is a brilliantly inventive choreography of language.

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9781963908473

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Dana DeFranco's book, Place in Space is full of confident, high-flying percussive poetry that would make Gertrude Stein swoon. Often delicious, always vibrant, Place in Space is a brilliantly inventive choreography of language. James Cagney, author of Martian: The Saint of Loneliness Dana DeFranco appears to have the courage to say what anyone living through our fucked era is already thinking (or should be). Refusing the assumption that particular topics naturally lend themselves to poetry, Place in Space covers immense ground, from questioning how to assess the moral character of Pablo Picasso and the Unabomber to imaginatively inhabiting birds deciding how to make nests, (""how they distinguish/ quality materials/ within the void/ of junk"") to marveling at how beauty, cruelty, disgust, and Facebook can meaningfully coexist. DeFranco's voice is grounded in a refreshing cynicism that creates a startling sense of trust: ""what I need is for this to make sense/ that I impart something here."" The experience of reading this book is similar to receiving messages from a friend in need of a confidante in order to withstand an impossible situation. Perhaps there's no better motivation for poetry. Sarah V. Schweig, author of The Ocean in the Next Room Dana DeFranco's debut collection Place in Space is nothing short of a marvel of the human spirit. The poet shows us what can be done when we consciously choose to forego the expectations of beauty for the truth of confrontation. What we arrive at is a reclaiming of humanity. Look in an effort to see and read with the intention of finding and you might just find yourself in unexpected ways inside this book. Truong Tran, Book Of The Other Dana DeFranco is a radical writer. She challenges readers to think, close their eyes, call for pause, and walk away. You will find yourself carrying her poems inside your pockets as they read like graffiti on the sides of spaceships: (""Doors live in walled space/ doors hold a place/ we travel through spaces/ that are walled/ we walk through walls in spaces/ sometimes called doors""). These beautiful constructions should be read aloud to friends, lovers, and even enemies. They are witty and luminous worthy of ingestion and rumination. I consider her words an intimate blessing to be shared by the worthy few. Malcolm Shabazz Hoover, farmer, community organizer, & poet: One Hundred Forty-Four Poems and Essays for God, Love, Truth, Justice, Peace, and Hip Hop

Author Information

Dana DeFranco is a writer and educator in the San Francisco Bay Area. Originally from New Jersey, Dana was born in Paterson and grew up in Passaic County. Her work explores the ways in which our humanity is both fragmented and healed within the everyday. Dana's poetry has been featured in many literary journals and magazines including 2RiverView, The Ana and BarBar. Her chapbook, Blends and Bends, was published in June 2023 by Bottlecap Press. Dana holds an MFA in Creative Writing: Poetry from Mills College in Oakland. She is a full-time Pisces.

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