A Series of Un/Natural/Disasters

by Cheena Marie Lo

A Series of Un/Natural/Disasters explores the many forms of mutual aid and possibility that appear in moments of state failure. It maps long and complicated equations, taking us from Katrina to the prisoners at Riker's Island as they await Hurricane Sandy. It understands and explains disaster as a collective system, the state as precarious, and community as both fundamental and necessary. Cheena Marie Lo , born in Manapla, Philippines, is a genderqueer poet based in Oakland, California. They currently coordinate a youth art program at California College of the Arts and co-edit the literary journal HOLD .

Genres: Poetry

76 pages, Paperback

First published April 12, 2016

Reviews

[maia ‼️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

me when poetics of mutual aid

[Lisa]

One of the best poetry books I have read in a long time. Cheena Marie Lo is able to bring together an amazing assortment of ideas and themes, make them relevant, and really point out what is wrong with the world.

Especially with the recent hurricanes, this poetry book has left me without words.

[Shelby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lo poors down on you the drops of quoted disaster so you can poor over the "poor folk question" on absurd "poor man's beaches." The volume is a cyclone that clearly does not exploit well-researched disaster but whisks up the parts we must confront around those whose humanity it respects by leaving it be, by confronting us with the sterile stand-in of unnamed statistics. Because, "/how to quantify absence?" In the calmer eye of "A Series of Un/Natural/ Disasters" is a beautiful naturalist optimism "about ants and bees and termites," about community. Then a more chaotic wave of numbers hits the reader, then ebbs "towards" something that the reader has a responsibility in choosing, and certainly not towards demeaning categorization.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I completely admit to being absolutely baffled by the poems that were just a series of numbers I pretty much loved everything else. And many of the poems were simply magnificent! What a powerful collection!

[Laurel Perez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disaster and aid as a collective. Issues and numbers of need and loss alphabetized, coded, and called into question. It's one heck of a premise, pulled off with no room for breath. The reputation borders on too much, but breaks apart at the right moments.

[Zack]

This is Cheena Marie Lo's first book. It's dope as fuck. I think you should read it if you can.