The Behaviour of Clocks

by Sally Ashton

Sally Ashton's new collection of prose poems debuts very nearly on the 100th anniversary of the first observation confirming Albert Einstein's prediction that light from another star would be bent by the sun's gravity. Here she uses Einstein's famous thought experiments as the launchpad for a poetic inquiry into time and memory. the simultaneity of the past, present, and future in how each informs any moment. Poet Amy Gerstler writes, "Ashton's investigative meditations maintain constant awareness of territories shared by physics and poetry. These wonderfully reflective poems arise from something like a physicist's precision of mind and a shaman's sensitivity of vision." And poet Peter Johnson pronounces it "one of the most engaging books of prose poetry I've read in the last ten years."

89 pages, Paperback

Published April 1, 2019

Reviews

[Annie]

Really enjoyed this book! Feels like the best of nonfiction writing and the best of poetry because of the prose poem approach throughout. If you like travel writing that's visually rich, this will also be a great choice for you. I also appreciated Ashton's lively sense of humor and quirkiness.

[Sarah]

Equal parts keen observation and rich imagination, Sally Ashton’s THE BEHAVIOUR OF CLOCKS is a treat for travelers, philosophers, scientists, writers—anyone who loves feeling dazzled by locales and pondering ideas from many angles. I love the scenes with Einstein and his kind eyes, and Ashton’s sense of humor and magic, apparent in lines like “A man feeds pigeons next to the sign that tells him not to. He vanishes in a cloud of wings.”