Listening to Winter

California Poetry Series #4

by Molly Fisk

Poetry. A rich and varied body of work from an accomplished poet, through which runs the dark thread of incest, a leavening humor, and the deep solace of the natural world. Delineated with sharp visual detail and emotional complexity, this book breaks new ground. It is sure to be noticed, talked about, and remembered. Jane Hirschfield says of LISTENING TO WINTER, Molly Fisk brings to her readers a poetry of great emotional power, linguistic invention, and courage. She looks long and hard at the world, and speaks to what she sees with both clarity and depth.

Genres: Poetry

64 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

It isn't often I finish a book of poetry and immediately return to the beginning to read it again. And then return a few years later and do exactly the same thing. Molly's poems are brave and open, the language engaging and rich. Highly, highly recommended.

[Nina · Rating 5 out of 5]

A powerful, profound, stunning collection. With candor and courage, Fisk tackles one of the toughest subjects for writers of any genre, childhood incest. Poetry, with its deliberate word choices and spare lines, is perhaps the ideal expression for this horror.

Fisk strikes a perfect balance between emotional infusion and necessary detachment. Her work is a stellar example of poetry's own cliche, show don't tell. With half a line, "white Carter Spanky Pants, size 6x" (Moment), Fisk induces a visceral reaction.

There is a fascinating juxtaposition in this book, with poems of adult erotic encounters also included. These are skillfully crafted in-your-face, raw poems, yet Fisk's total command of language makes them sing.

I keep picking this book up, re-reading. These are some of the poems I'm especially drawn to:
Neighbor
Ford F150
Couples
Veterans
This is the Story of My Life
The View From Here

Buy this book. Read it. Read it again, then share it with everybody you know.

[Olivia Rose · Rating 2 out of 5]

Listening to Winter is a remarkably disappointing book of poetry. Fisk somehow succeeds in making sex boring and fails to bring artistic justice to the horrific realities of incest and sexual abuse. I moved through this book easily, unmoved, and bored. "Walking Down Franklin Street" is the only poem that is somewhat interesting, though only compared to the book's other poems--not in the grander repertoire of Californian poetry. Fisk's language is dull and predictable, and her poems about sex resemble a young unpracticed teenaged or college-level student's first poem in a writing workshop. I'm trying to figure out why I impulsively grabbed this at a recycled book store, because this book is just bad.

[Lavinia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunning.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing. Amazing. Amazing. Beautiful, honest, brave.

[Broadsided Press -]

Molly Fisk will be Broadsided January 1, 2009 -- artist Yuko Adachi will respond to her poem.