Rooms and Their Airs

by Jody Gladding

Drawn from the environments of northern Vermont and the South of France, the poems in Rooms and Their Airs explore the interface of the human and natural worlds, further eroding that distinction with each poem. The verse here merges subject and object, often giving voice to natural phenomena — a vernal pool, a fossil, a beam of light. These poems sparkle with humor, sophisticated word play, and intellectual examination, reflecting an elegant and contagious curiosity about history, language, and the world. Linked poems give voice to garden vegetables while drawing inspiration from the archival illustrations in The Medieval Handbook. A mother and daughter’s trip to see France's cave paintings uncovers living vestiges in prehistoric depictions and reaffirms the enduring nature of art. With this collection, Jody Gladding cements her reputation as the literary heir to A. R. Ammons, Gustaf Sobin, and Lorine Niedecker.

Genres: Poetry

80 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2009

About the author

Jody Gladding is a poet and author most recently of Translations from Bark Beetle. She has translated thirty works from French, for which she has received grants from the Centre National du Livre and the French-American Foundation Translation Prize.

Reviews

[Bonnabelle Dogood · Rating 5 out of 5]

stunning words and beautiful meanings. i found her work at a free little library and grabbed it because the title intrigued me. absolutely going to be sharing these w/ poetry lover friends. she made me feel something with several poems i really loved.

[Gabby Grinaway · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jody Gladding is my favorite poet. At times, and I’d go so far as to say most times, her work demands careful examination of language, image, and subject. Her books require careful consideration. However, out of all those I’ve read so far—The Spiders Her Arms, Translations of a Bark Beetle, I Entered Without Words, and this one—this is the most accessible. I would say throughout this collection it gets more nuanced as you go on through it, but that’s the art of it. She teaches her reader how to read her poems and it’s ingenious. This collection examines place in terms of their histories—Vermont River, France cave drawings, one of my favorites on Mt Saint Victoire, etc. She also examines relationship between mother and daughter in these spaces, describing a trip through southern France. Her inclusion of the lunar calendar from Native Americans is an interesting concept as well, as place changes through the seasons. A must read from Jody Gladding and if you’re just getting into her work I would consider starting here. Such an admirable poet.

[Kasey Jueds · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mysterious and beautiful--the way these poems are organized on the page makes them feel full of air and breath and silence. Some--especially a few early on in the book--seem absolutely perfect to me. Others I couldn't quite find my way into... but that's probably me rather than them. Best to read this book in one sitting, when you can be as quiet as the poems ask you to be.

[Hannah Jane]

I wasn't a fan of her writing sytle. Her line placements were extremely distracting.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delicious.