In Every Seam

Joseph presents the events of daily life both plainly and transcendently, as if to summon up the entire cultural setting in which they take place. . . . The triumphant final poem, ‘Plenty’ is an implied rebuke to any possible misreading of her poems as limited to a poetics of identity, or rooted in the deprivations of history rather than the plenty and richness of her experience, the will and ingenuity of her imagination and her strong poetic gift.” –Women’s Review of Books “These poems point to the strong materials needed to make ourselves whole in the modern world. They alert us to the seams we must tug at to see into ourselves.” –Yusef Komunyakaa Allison Joseph is the author of three books and her honors include the 1992 Women Poets Series Competition Award, the 1992 John C. Zacharis First Book Prize, an Illinois Arts Council Fellowship in Poetry for 1996, and a 1997 Literary Award from the Illinois Arts Council. She is Associate Professor of creative writing and poetry at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.