Whatever Shines: Prose Poems

by Kathleen McGookey

"Whatever Shines is an admirable and dazling first collection. The voice is undisputably unique and haunting and one looks forward to anything the poet writes in the future." —Jim Harrison "The writing of Kathleen McGookey shines more brightly than most fine things we feel pleasure to read. Celebrate it!" —Naomi Shihab Nye "At first, you don’t turn the antique coin, don’t feel the chip in the crystal, the dented armor, you just coo in admiration. You simply close your hand around whatever shines..." —from the title poem Kathleen McGookey holds a Ph.D. in literature from Western Michigan University. She is managing editor of Third Coast and was nominated for a Pushcart Prize in 1998. She lives in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

80 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2001

Reviews

[Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prose poetry is a new format for me. Almost like tiny short stories.
Just a Few Favorites:
Swans
Leaving Logansport
English 105
Simple Arithmetic
Another Drowning, Miners Lake
Line from a Journal
A Small Other Way of Living

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two degrees of separation...

Though this book is now eleven years old, it came to me in a very kismet sort of way... right book, right time, and all that. I've been working rather closely with Cecilia Woloch these past few years, and her poetry has had a profound effect on my writing. In her latest collection, Carpathia, Cecilia has several poems whose titles are lines from THIS collection.

I had been meaning to buy the book for years, but I finally did when I realized that it had been published as part of the Marie Alexander Poetry Series--for prose poems--and I was shaping my own manuscript to submit to their call. When I read the first poem, "Tale," I wanted to throw all of my poems away. They had already been written, and better. I wished "Tale" had been my own, and in a way it was. I had been introduced to a poet who could write the things I couldn't say. And for a writer, this is always humbling... with a good measure of reassuring.

As I revisit these poems today, two months after reading this book, I see how perfectly "Tale" opens and frames this collection. It is one of six I have dog-eared. "Simple Arithmetic" is the second, hitting every bit as close to my heart: "There was a boy, a girl, and a dog: I still can't get the story straight--magic fruit? straw into gold?--and night's black velvet has arrived." So dreamlike.

"Tulip," "Another Question of Travel," "Complaint, Personal," and "Poem for my Mother," are my other favorites here.

But my favorite line, because it came to me first, years ago, is the one Cecilia uses for one of my favorites of her poems: "I'd like a love letter and too much light in my eyes." Now who wouldn't want that every once in a while? Thank Goddess for these women who have gone before me... their books to which I frequently turn... for many things.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book greatly and think it is an excellent example of prose poetry. Anyone interested in prose poetry should find this book a worthy read.

[James Grinwis · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title poem is one of the loveliest I've read all year.