About the book
Mouths Open to Name Her, Katie Bickham’s dazzling new collection, resounds with the intensity of new motherhood and confronts the relationship between mothers and their children, as she explores what it means to carry a child, even one conceived by rape or “a child born from no place, from the flame of her forgetting, / bracket of blank pages. The boy, too, was destined to forget— / a bird from no tree branch, fish from no river, sword from no forge.” Moving from the mid-1800s to 2017, these finely wrought poems grapple with how war, violence, and enslavement can disrupt our innocence. Bickham emphasizes the power of creation in spite of this: “Just picture them all,” she writes, “350,000 babies, together at once, / a city’s worth of them in a row or a circle or wrapped / in an acres-wide blanket, an army of innocence yawning / their first breaths over the globe, and the promise / that it will all happen again, just like this, just as imperfectly, / no matter what, / tomorrow.” Mouths Open to Name Her calls forth a global sisterhood that extends from Charleston, South Carolina, and Shreveport, Louisiana, to Nice, France; Buenos Aires, Argentina; and the Serengeti District, Tanzania.
Editions of Mouths Open to Name Her
- Paperback
- ISBN 9780807169872
- EBook
- ISBN 9780807170953
- PDF
- ISBN 9780807170946
Read an Excerpt
Mouths Open to Name Her, Katie Bickham’s dazzling new collection, resounds with the intensity of new motherhood and confronts the relationship between mothers and their children, as she explores what it means to carry a child, even one conceived by rape or “a child born from no place, from the flame of her forgetting, / bracket of blank pages. The boy, too, was destined to forget— / a bird from no tree branch, fish from no river, sword from no forge.” Moving from the mid-1800s to 2017, these finely wrought poems grapple with how war, violence, and enslavement can disrupt our innocence. Bickham emphasizes the power of creation in spite of this: “Just picture them all,” she writes, “350,000 babies, together at once, / a city’s worth of them in a row or a circle or wrapped / in an acres-wide blanket, an army of innocence yawning / their first breaths over the globe, and the promise / that it will all happen again, just like this, just as imperfectly, / no matter what, / tomorrow.” Mouths Open to Name Her calls forth a global sisterhood that extends from Charleston, South Carolina, and Shreveport, Louisiana, to Nice, France; Buenos Aires, Argentina; and the Serengeti District, Tanzania.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Mouths Open to Name Her about?
Mouths Open to Name Her, Katie Bickham’s dazzling new collection, resounds with the intensity of new motherhood and confronts the relationship between mothers and their children, as she explores what it means to carry a child, even one conceived by rape or “a child born from no place, from the flame of her forgetting, / bracket of blank pages. The boy, too, was destined to forget— / a bird from no tree branch, fish from no river, sword from no forge.” Moving from the mid-1800s to 2017, these finely wrought poems grapple with how war, violence, and enslavement can disrupt our innocence. Bickham emphasizes the power of creation in spite of this: “Just picture them all,” she writes, “350,000 babies, together at once, / a city’s worth of them in a row or a circle or wrapped / in an acres-wide blanket, an army of innocence yawning / their first breaths over the globe, and the promise / that it will all happen again, just like this, just as imperfectly, / no matter what, / tomorrow.” Mouths Open to Name Her calls forth a global sisterhood that extends from Charleston, South Carolina, and Shreveport, Louisiana, to Nice, France; Buenos Aires, Argentina; and the Serengeti District, Tanzania.
What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in Mouths Open to Name Her?
Biography, Literature and Literary studies > Poetry / Poems
Where can I read a sample of Mouths Open to Name Her?
You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9780807169872
How long is Mouths Open to Name Her and how many pages does it have?
Mouths Open to Name Her has 80 page(s)
Is Mouths Open to Name Her part of a series, and can it be read as a standalone?
Yes it is a part of series Barataria Poetry
Who is/are the Author/s of the book Mouths Open to Name Her?
Katie Bickham
Who is the Publisher of the book Mouths Open to Name Her?
LSU Press
What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?
Mouths Open to Name Her is available as paperback(ISBN 9780807169872) and ebook(ISBN 9780807170953) and pdf(ISBN 9780807170946)
Where can I buy Mouths Open to Name Her online or support local independent bookshops?
You can buy Mouths Open to Name Her from below
Where can I buy Mouths Open to Name Her?