Henrietta Goodman’s book Antilla takes its title from a phantom island that appeared on 15th century maps. The lush poems in Antilla (The Backwaters Press) continually question what is here and what isn’t, through ghostly presences. In “What Are We Going to Turn Into?” Goodman even refers to her son as pop culture’s friendly ghost after he has a scary stint in the hospital, thinking:
…how Gabriel’s father used to go around shirtless with huge
muscles and a huge grin calling my son Casper, how we laughed
together, and I’m thinking about that question, based on
the simplest metaphor I know, the only one that matters.
Goodman explores what/who is real again in the wonderfully feverish title poem:
https://www.poetrynw.org/henrietta-goodman-antillia/
Congratulations, Henrietta!
Thank you, Denise, not only for this but for all your recent Wednesdays.
Who did the cover for Henrietta's book?
[Btw when you post, click on your name and on "feature.]
Posted by: David Lehman | March 13, 2024 at 01:09 PM
What a stunning poem! I keep coming back to it to read it over--
And I love the cover!
Posted by: Nin Andrews | March 17, 2024 at 10:47 AM
Thanks, Denise, for alerting me to this poet. I'm a little late getting to this post, but I do love your Wednesdays!
Posted by: Susan Aizenberg | March 21, 2024 at 01:00 PM
Denise, I just discovered your lovely post about my new book. Thank you SO SO much!...Henrietta
Posted by: Henrietta Goodman | April 19, 2024 at 05:33 PM
The cover is a cyanotype made for the book by my wonderfully talented colleague Todd Forsgren, an artist and professor in the art department at Rocky Mountain College in Billings, Montana.
Posted by: Henrietta Goodman | April 19, 2024 at 05:40 PM
Thank you, Denise -- and Henrietta
Posted by: David Lehman | April 25, 2024 at 05:13 PM