| Edition |
First edition. |
| Description |
81 pages ; 23 cm. |
| Series |
Akron series in poetry |
|
Akron series in poetry.
|
| Note |
"Winner of the 2022 Akron Poetry Prize chosen by Adrian Matejka"--Back cover. |
|
"Cover design by Amy Freels."--Title page verso. |
|
"Something about living was designed and typeset in Garamond by Amy Freels ..."--Title page verso. |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references in "Notes & Acknowledgments" (pages 79-81) |
| Contents |
Transit -- I. Variations on a last chance -- Portraits of light -- Beit Anya -- Dialogic -- When the sky is no longer -- Maritime nocturne -- A single word: Home -- Fragments from a sudden crescendo -- Threads -- On the thirtieth Friday we consider plurals -- First-generation -- II. Enter here -- To be self-evident -- This day our daily bread -- In case of emergency -- Envelope -- In Palestine there -- On translation -- Triptych -- Maqluba -- Dendrology -- Notes from the Civil Discourse Committee -- Iconic -- Sfumato -- Long distance -- Other words for blue -- Madwoman Ghazal -- Slipshape -- III. Letter to June Jordan in September -- Tantoura redux -- Apricots -- Gloria -- Autocorrect -- Zaghareed -- Welcome -- Golden -- Crowdsourced -- Dukka -- Notes and acknowledgments. |
| Summary |
"It's nearly impossible to write poetry that holds the human desire for joy and the insistent agitations of protest at the same time, but Lena Khalaf Tuffaha's gorgeous and wide-ranging new collection Something About Living does just that. Her poems interweave Palestine's historic suffering, the challenges of living in this world full of violence and ill will, and the gentle delights we embrace to survive that violence. Khalaf Tuffaha's elegant poems sing the fractured songs of Diaspora while remaining clear-eyed to the cause of the fracturing: the multinational hubris of colonialism and greed. This collection is her witness to our collective unraveling, vowel by vowel, syllable by syllable. "Let the plural be a return of us" the speaker of "On the Thirtieth Friday We Consider Plurals" says and this plurality is our tenuous humanity and the deep need to hang on to kindness in our communities. In these poems Khalaf Tuffaha reminds us that love isn't an idea; it is a radical act. Especially for those who, like this poet, travel through the world vigilantly, but steadfastly remain heart first. -Adrian Matejka, author of Somebody Else Sold the World"-- Provided by publisher. |
| Awards |
National Book Award for Poetry, 2024 |
|
Akron Poetry Prize, 2022. |
| Subject |
Life -- Poetry.
|
|
Palestinian Arabs -- Poetry.
|
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Imperialism -- Poetry.
|
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Palestine -- Poetry.
|
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POETRY / Middle Eastern.
|
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LITERARY CRITICISM / Poetry.
|
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POETRY / Subjects & Themes / Death, Grief, Loss.
|
| Genre/Form |
poetry.
|
|
Poetry. https://id.worldcat.org/fast/1423828
|
|
Poetry.
|
| Added Author |
Freels, Amy, book designer.
|
| Other Form: |
Online version: Tuffaha, Lena Khalaf. Something about living. First edition Akron, Ohio : The University of Akron Press, 2024. 9781629222745 (DLC) 2024000544 |
| ISBN |
9781629222738 (paperback) |
|
1629222739 (paperback) |
|
9781629222745 (electronic book) |
|
9781629222752 (electronic book) |
| Standard No. |
40032368375 |
|
