Sundress Reads: Review of Gastromythology

Jessica Manack’s Gastromythology (Sheila-Na-Gig Editions, 2024) is an astonishing debut that redefines hunger and girlhood. Each of this poetry collection’s three sections has a theme: being fed, resistance, and becoming nourishment. Throughout, Manack discusses many adversities women face in day-to-day life, like food, motherhood, and professional careers, in beautiful metaphors and intricate punctuation usage.

Gastromythology immediately drew me in with its world-building. “Archaeology” explores nostalgia and food, examining how the senses contribute to memories and how we recall our childhood. Reading “Archaeology” feels like getting a whiff of something sweet in the air, reminding me of a random day in my life ten years ago. There’s a secrecy in this poem, one that intrigues the reader and draws them into the story. I want to know the secrets being burned in this garbage fire Manack describes. This make me question the truth in memory—if no one else remembers, what is stopping one from creating a false memory? What we remember, the smells, tastes, feelings, are what create our memories, become the artifacts that create the stories we call ours. “Archaeology” is a skillful poem that joins the reader and speaker in an intimate setting, as if sitting by a campfire and sharing ghost stories. Perhaps, these ghost stories are stories of our past selves, and create who we currently are.

“Perilous Figures” is feminist in nature, exclaiming what girls are instead of what girls aren’t. The metaphors used throughout this poem are beautiful and at times, dangerous. One of these metaphors I adore reads:

This strikes me as powerful: the idea that a girl can be simultaneously destructive and nourishing is interesting, as there’s an incredible amount of stigma surrounding young girls being dramatic. Manack reconstructs what girls may see in themselves, not only in a reflection but in the construction of their future. If someone had told me as a young girl that I was a “smoking motor” (Manack 21), perhaps I would’ve been more eager to pursue my interests, an education, and things that aren’t “feminine.”

“Dad Visits Me at College” is incredibly ironic for me to read. On my 21^st birthday, my dad visited me at college with “pants [were] ripped / down the ass crack / with nothing underneath” (Manack 27). It was a case of unfortunate timing for my father to show up with a six-inch rip in the backside of his pants, not because he had been drinking like the figure in Manack’s poem. I  this poem to my dad for him to read, because I can’t believe another person had experienced a situation like this, one where you had to become your parents’ parent and try to find a solution for a problem they caused. His embarrassment both humanized him and made me see the boy inside the man that is my father. “Dad Visits Me at College,” I feel, is the perfect ending to the first section, showing the tip of the iceberg when a girl realizes age doesn’t always equal wisdom. Sometimes, seeing your parents “fucked up” (Manack 27) makes us see that the people we’ve idolized or held to a high standard are also fragile humans who make mistakes.

Section II is what I like to imagine as a rejection of feeding. This section seems to have larger “bites” of words in the sizing of stanzas, a shift from some of the previous poems that flowed with brevity. For example, “Saffron” is constructed in two stanzas, both thick and meaty. I adore the sensory imagery in this piece, imagining “the jiggles of custard” (Manack 38) or peanut butter sticking to the roof of my mouth. This poem, in turn, stuck with me. This section is the denial of nourishment, but the speaker seems to struggle with feeling fulfilled, despite eating five times a day. Seeing how the speaker eats often, but is never full because of someone else’s broth of a personality, makes me wonder: at what point do relationships and friendships become a form of self-harm, due to their lack of nutrients?

Manack’s ability to verbalize how aging impacts confidence is inspiring here; Section III speaks to me as a section showing how women themselves become nourishment for others. “Breastfeeding at Forty” feels like coming to terms with aging. The variety of punctuation in this poem makes it such a pleasure to read. In one particularly inspiring line Manack writes, “I try to see my wealth and not my dearth” (47). Beyond the uniqueness of the word “dearth,” the vocal rhyme doesn’t exist, but the eye rhyme here indicates some sort of synonymity. This skillful wordplay found in Section III ties the collection to a close.

Gastromythology is applicable and relatable in many different ways. The personability Manack shows throughout the collection is admirable, and this debut ties together many themes of womanhood into one beautiful binding.

Gastromythology is available from Sheila-Na-Gig Editions

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Caroline Eliza is a poet and writer from Asheville, North Carolina, currently completing her degree in Writing, Literature, and Publishing at Emerson College with minors in Pre-Law and Poetry. Her creative and academic work explores the intersection of poetry and movement, often blurring the lines between the written word and physical expression. Her work can be found in The Poetry Lighthouse and Sundress Reads by Sundress Publications. Beyond the page, Caroline finds joy in crocheting and dancing, grounding her artistic life in tactile practices and performance. She will graduate in December 2025 and plans to further her education, continuing to explore the connections between art, advocacy, and embodiment.