Books by Carrie Etter

In 1999, living in southern California, Carrie Etter began a series of poems focusing on our cultural obsession with creating beginnings and origins-a new day, a new chapter, a fresh start-called 'Divining for Starters'. Twelve years and a move to England later, here are the best poems from that work in progress.

By responding to loss with humor and by appreciating the world in all its quirky variety and odd detail, this collection meanders from an imaginary village to Manhattan, from southern California to London, from Arizona to the Czech Republic, finally coming to rest in the mysterious comforts of the Illinois prairie. Rich with original observation and wry commentary, these poems are lushly rendered with an unashamed wordiness. Incorporating a range of cultural touch points, each piece deftly pulls from a broad reference spectrum, including classic literature, Raggedy Ann, the notorious hangings at Newgate Prison, the ubiquitous Dear John letter, William Shakespeare, Bob Dylan, and John Keats's fiancée Fanny Brawne. Sensual and lushly engaged to its many worlds, the assorted works collected here evoke an altogether formal and thematic experience.