Description
Nimbly slipping between personae, masks, and moods, the prosody-driven poems of Sum weigh the volatility and mutability of the self against the forces of habit, instinct and urge. With homages to Hopkins, Graves, Wisława Szymborska, Paul Muldoon, and more, and in allusion-dappled, playfully sprung stanzas, this third book from poet and critic Zachariah Wells both wears its influences openly and spins a sound texture all its own, in a collection far greater than its parts.
“A poet of direct speech and muscular lexicon.”—Quill & Quire
Praise for Zachariah Wells & Sum
“What Wells offers is a thematic survey on formalist grounds, a sort of sleight of hand that makes the collection immediately familiar and intelligible but also, as his insightful notes on each poem show, rigorous in its aesthetic evaluations and thoughtful in its attention to details of prosody. As an editor and commentator, Wells is incredibly perceptive and mercifully concise.”—Jared Bland, The Walrus, on Jailbreaks
“[Sum] is marked by rhythm that snaps like a snare-drum, punctuated by the occasional rim shot at a line turn … ‘what is grace?’ seems to hover, unasked, over the lines; the answer breathes new meaning into an old expression”—ARC Poetry Magazine
“Zachariah Wells is a Maritime poet of direct speech and muscular lexicon.”—
Quill & Quire
“Playful, snarky, sharp-witted, intelligent and polemical.”—Michael Bryson, The Underground Book Club
“One of Canada’s most vocal and pugnacious critics of poetry … adept at setting words down with incredible precision and maximum impact. [Wells] reminds us about the strengths—and the dangers—of standing behind one’s opinions. Of being honest. Of being clear. And of loving a good fight.”—Free Range Reading
