Gut

These poems follow the aftermath of and recovery from trauma. Amanda Larson's Gut begins with an epigraph from Frank O'Hara: "Pain always produces logic, which is very bad for you." From there, Larson launches an unflinching interrogation of how a young woman maintains agency in the wake of trauma, violence, and desire. Larson spins a conversation between works of feminist theory-including the those of Cathy Caruth, Susan Bordo, Patricia Hill Collins, Anne Carson, Helene Cixous, and bell hooks-and her own experiences. The book moves through Larson's recovery while questioning the limits of the very term and of language as a whole. She employs a variety of different forms, including prose, Q&A poems, and a timeline, reflecting both the speaker's obsession with control and her growing willingness to let it go. With a measured voice, Larson finds a path for how to move beyond logic during processes of trauma and recovery. Gut won the Omnidawn 1st/2nd Book Contest, selected by Jericho Brown.