Entomological catastrophes are rarely a source of poetic inspiration. Ditto Goldbach's prime number conjecture. Poet and spoken word artist Michele Battiste, however, is anything but a stodgy traditionalist. She is more likely to panegyrize her food processor than to lament the icy decisiveness of Death (the fact that one of her favorite hobbies is collecting epidemiological statistics on the world's major diseases notwithstanding). Her work is vivific, yet thoughtful; intellectual, yet sultry - one moment wizened and worldly, the next, purring with vernal allure. Additionally, Battiste's command of the English language is a marvel. Her verse is bursting with bewitching imagery and the rhythmic elegance of Latin jazz. And she can unfold a trope like a peacock's fan, revealing a staggering bounty of striking patterns and unexpected connections. As far as this (NY Times) critic is concerned, Battiste is a major talent. She's sure to become one of the true luminaries of American poetry in the 21st century.
Formerly the MFA Poetry Fellow in Wichita State University's master of fine arts creative writing program, Battiste returned to her native New York where she writes and works and misses the prairie. She is the author of two chapbooks: Mapping the Spaces Between, (Snark Publishing, 2004) and Raising Petra, (Pudding House, 2007).
According to Jim Daniels, editor of American Poetry: The Next Generation,
"(Michele Battiste's) poems are driven by some super high-octane duende. They spin and spill all over the place with a controlled recklessness and a sustained energy. She's ready to take flight at the smallest provocation, wings oiled up, in tune with the mad universe."
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Michele is pinch hitting for the other team. No, not that team. She's now writing critical reviews.
You can check out her first poetry review online at Rattle Magazine.
Ink for an Odd Cartography, Michele's long- awaited first full-length collection, will be published by Black Lawrence Press. |
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