Usually I underline phrases, mark pages. I didn't this time. Why? I was so caught up in the story, in the poetry, in the urgency, that I didn't want to stop reading. What an honest, courageous, debut collection. Sands turns traumatic experiences into poetry. She makes me want to go back and right the wrongs against her. She makes me want to read and re-read until I understand how she is able to turn tragedy into poetry, how she is able to make me feel that her experiences belong to everyone.

I want to hear more from this poet. Sadly, Jean Sands passed away this year. A second volume is being published posthumously. I look forward to reading it, but it's not enough. This poetic voice should have been with us longer.

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