The Couple Who Fell To Earth by Michelle Bitting swept me into a sea that felt ordinary at first glance, but upon closer inspection was deeply personal and filled with thoughts not ordinarily spoken out loud. I felt a connection to these poems, as though I were part of that "couple who fell to earth", as though Michelle Bitting were speaking for me at times and other times showing me the way somewhere I've never been. These poems will take you on a journey...
What words would I use to describe Michelle Bitting's poetry... Crisp, beautiful, eternal. In this collection of poetry,
The Couple Who Fell To Earth, Michelle divides the poems into Earth, Heart, Immanent, Body and Wind. Each infused with family and love, connections that seem ancient and yet contemporary, a thread that links us all, and words that dance off your tongue as you read silently to yourself. And I think the wonderful way the words flow and play with eachother is what makes me want to read and reread these poems. The sentiments, such as in the poem
Immanent, Purgatorio (with Dante Alighieri),
"tell the ones who asked the angels who told
me to retire my bent towards calamity's green:
From this time on, love governs my soul."
makes me want to reread these poems to enjoy them for their subtle observations. This collection has something for everyone and would definitely be a nice edition a bookshelf.
The Couple Who Fell To Earth also received a nice starred review from
Kirkus Reviews!
About the Poet...
Michelle Bitting’s first collection,
Good Friday Kiss (C & R, 2008) won the DeNovo First Book Award. Her second collection,
Notes To The Beloved (SPC, 2011) won the Sacramento Poetry Center Book Award and received a starred review from Kirkus. Poems have been published in the American Poetry Review, Prairie Schooner, Narrative, The L.A. Weekly, diode, Linebreak, and The Paris-American, and have been nominated for the Pushcart and Best of the Net prizes. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Pacific University and is currently a Ph.D candidate in Mythological Studies at Pacifica Graduate Institute. She grew up in Los Angeles near the ocean.
You can learn more about Michelle and her poetry at her
WEBSITE. Check out Michelle on
GoodReads too!
The Couple Who Fell To Earth was published by C & R Press this past May and is available at your local bookstore now! Or if you prefer, here's the link to the book via
Amazon.com.
I received a copy of
The Couple Who Fell To Earth through
Poetic Book Tours for my honest review.
Michelle Bitting's first collection, Good Friday Kiss (C & R, 2008) won the DeNovo First Book Award. Her second collection, Notes To The Beloved (SPC, 2011) won the Sacramento Poetry Center Book Award and received a starred review from Kirkus. Poems have been published in the American Poetry Review, Prairie Schooner, Narrative, The L.A. Weekly, diode, Linebreak, and The Paris-American, and have been nominated for the Pushcart and Best of the Net prizes. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Pacific University and is currently a Ph.D candidate in Mythological Studies at Pacifica Graduate Institute. She grew up in Los Angeles near the ocean.
