Equatorial / Soleil David / 2024
I read this book feverish during parent-teacher conferences in between sessions with teachers. Soleil’s voice is simultaneously impressive and the opposite of ostentatious. She captures the fury of monsoons in a delicate voice. There’s a way her rhythm washes over me that I haven’t quite figured out. Masterful poems like “Last Transit of Venus…”, a golden shovel flipping a classic Margaret Atwood poem, take me several reads to sink into its absolute splash of longing. I would reread and reread without any regrets. 3.5/5