Sundress Reads: Review of Whale Aria

A masterclass of poetic grace, scientific specificity, and deep cultural respect, Rajiv Mohabir’s Whale Aria (Four Way Books, 2023) weaves together songs of migration, cries against destruction, and the very essence of what it means to be alive.

Mohabir does not shy away from naming oppression, and this directness forces readers to confront the environments through which his speakers and subjects must navigate. In the sequence, “Sound Navigation and Ranging,” he states matter-of-factly, “Come, aggression is healthy, is American” (Mohabir 81). This sentence makes waves juxtaposed with the gorgeous aquatic and mammalian imagery that swims throughout Whale Aria’s pages.

“Invocation,” another sequence earlier in the collection, displays the soul and bioacoustics of whalesong. Mohabir visually evokes the various sounds, rhymes, and patterns of such majestic creatures. Some poems in the sequence boomerang down the page, while others are printed upside down, requiring readers to flip their books or turn their heads to follow along. On page 37, he maps out whale calls with a rising “O,” mapped onto English verse:

With musicality, generosity, and precision, Mohabir thoughtfully considers every moment in which he represents the stories and voices of these ancient animals.

Mohabir also asks questions throughout the collection, indicating both humility and self-assurance. His speakers know themselves; they know right from wrong, and they want to see where readers stand. For example: “have we forgotten how to speak to each other? You don’t understand my words until they’re blaring. Here is my universe” (Mohabir 77). The urgency in this speaker’s voice is tightly interwoven with a demand to be witnessed. A few pages later, Mohabir writes:

“Or do you feel the tidal pull of the ocean at your fins
as you graze your body in the surf’s wake…
How many brown people dry
in the sun? Have you ever lost your own balance? We are safe. We are
safe. The military secures us. Can you move? Who is crossing the kalapani
for you?” (82)

Especially stylized in italics, the repetition of “we are safe,” reads as mantra and prayer. Situated in the words surrounding it, however, the simple statement blends into a question. Are we safe? Who is actually safe, and by what means? At what cost?

In the collection’s final section, a stand-alone poem titled “Why Whales Are Back in New York City,” Mohabir gives both instruction and permission to those who have been pushed to the margins. The poem also acts as ode for New York (a place Mohabir has called/calls home) and for the book’s central figures, humpbacks, one of which graces Whale Aria’s cover. He writes:

“But now grace. bodies of song
return to us. Go to the seaside—
Hold your breath. Submerge.

…

They won’t keep us out
though they send us back.
Our songs will pierce the dark
fathoms. Behold the miracle:
what was once lost
now leaps before you.” (Mohabir 97-98)

Not only does the final image of a whale breaching provide energy and life, but Mohabir expertly uses the first person plural to elicit unity. He acknowledges what a blessing it is to survive, and better yet, to thrive, encouraging readers to take witness to such splendor.

Part translation, part ballad, part historical record of witness, Whale Aria exceeds all expectations of the poetry genre. I especially appreciate that he offers a poem, “In Praise of Hawai’i,” specifically towards the people and land where much of his work was written, and to whom he shares strong personal ties. I feel so fortunate to be in a world where Mohabir’s words, like “the song-shine of stars” (54), guide readers towards revolution, liberation, empathy, and peace.

Whale Aria is available from Four Way Books

Livia Meneghin (she/her) is the author of Honey in My Hair and the Sundress Publications Reads Editor. She won Breakwater Review‘s 2022 Peseroff Prize and earned a 2022-2023 Poetry Fellowship from The Writers’ Room of Boston. Her writing has found homes in Gasher, Solstice Lit, Thrush, Whale Road Review, and elsewhere. She earned her MFA from Emerson College, where she now teaches writing and literature. She is a cancer survivor.

Sundress Publications Announces the Acquisition of Bess Cooley’s Florence

Sundress Publications is pleased to announce the acquisition of Bess Cooley’s debut full-length collection, Florence. Cooley’s collection is slated for publication in late 2024.

Bess Cooley‘s poems have appeared in Prairie Schooner, Western Humanities Review, The Journal, Verse Daily, and other publications. She is also a recipient of the Mississippi Review Poetry Prize. Cooley earned a BA from Knox College and MFA from Purdue University, and currently is a senior lecturer at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She is co-founding editor of Peatsmoke: A Literary Journal.

The Wardrobe’s Best Dressed: God Themselves by Jae Nichelle

This selection, chosen by guest editor Katie Manning, is from 
God Themselves by Jae Nichelle, released by Simon & Schuster in 2023.

Golden Shovel

after Lucille Clifton’s “why some people be mad at me
sometimes”

when I die they will say I tempted the gun. they
will look at my body, bloodied, & ask
the gun why I deserved it. seductress me,
flesh hot & begging to
be pierced. the gun, I must remember
is just a gun. strong, but
easily convinced. when I resurrect, they
will say witch. say I must want
the attention of more guns. they’ll come for me,
use my resilience to
justify excessive force. the guns, I must remember,
are scared of me. I am their
warm-bodied antithesis in their memories.
though in mine, I was simply born &
blamed for it. it’s my fault. I
know they will eventually say I did it, keep
stressing how tired I was, how the on-
ly witnesses are remembering
wrong. the gun, they’ll say, was always mine.

Jae Nichelle is the author of the poetry chapbook The Porch (As Sanctuary) from YesYes Books; the inaugural poetry winner of the John Lewis Writing Award from the Georgia Writers Association; and her poetry has appeared in Best New Poets 2020, The Washington Square Review, The Offing Magazine, Muzzle Magazine, and elsewhere. Her spoken word poems have been featured by Write About Now, Speak Up Poetry Series, and Button Poetry.

Katie Manning is the author of Hereverent (Agape Editions), Tasty Other (winner of the Main Street Rag Poetry Book Award), and six chapbook collections, including How to Play (Louisiana Literature Press) and 28,065 Nights (River Glass Books). Her poem “What to Expect” was featured on the Poetry Unbound podcast, and her poems have appeared in HAD, Poet Lore, SWWIM, Stirring, Thimble, Verse Daily, and many other venues. Katie is the founder and editor-in-chief of Whale Road Review and a professor of writing at Point Loma Nazarene University.

The Wardrobe’s Best Dressed: God Themselves by Jae Nichelle

This selection, chosen by guest editor Katie Manning, is from 
God Themselves by Jae Nichelle, released by Simon & Schuster in 2023.

Black Girl Catholic

I like dipping my hands in the metal bowls of water & making everything I touch holy. Holy forehead, holy chest, holy lips. I am too old to sleep through sermon, too young to listen. Holy pew. Holy basket for offering. My grandmother passes soft mints to busy our mouths. Not busy enough. Holy sweet. She doesn’t listen to me, but she will to the man commanding standkneel. We accept his crunchy bread. Holy body. We eat God. We eat, yet I hunger for softer things. My auntie won’t let me see the Bible on her phone. She knows I play games instead. I dip my hand again as we leave. Holy me. Flick some on my brother. Holy us.

Jae Nichelle is the author of the poetry chapbook The Porch (As Sanctuary) from YesYes Books; the inaugural poetry winner of the John Lewis Writing Award from the Georgia Writers Association; and her poetry has appeared in Best New Poets 2020, The Washington Square Review, The Offing Magazine, Muzzle Magazine, and elsewhere. Her spoken word poems have been featured by Write About Now, Speak Up Poetry Series, and Button Poetry.

Katie Manning is the author of Hereverent (Agape Editions), Tasty Other (winner of the Main Street Rag Poetry Book Award), and six chapbook collections, including How to Play (Louisiana Literature Press) and 28,065 Nights (River Glass Books). Her poem “What to Expect” was featured on the Poetry Unbound podcast, and her poems have appeared in HAD, Poet Lore, SWWIM, Stirring, Thimble, Verse Daily, and many other venues. Katie is the founder and editor-in-chief of Whale Road Review and a professor of writing at Point Loma Nazarene University.

The Wardrobe’s Best Dressed: Her Kind by Cindy Veach

This selection, chosen by guest editor Katie Manning, is from 
Her Kind by Cindy Veach, released by CavanKerry Press in 2021.

I, Hecate

Between Queen, Liminal Sorceress,
Crossroads Guardian—
story of my life.

Who are you today, my ex would taunt.
More than just a Gemini,
a trimorphos, human form in triplicate:

birth, love, death
maiden, mother, crone
moon, earth, underworld

I’ll take triplicity
over duplicity any day.
Three heads are better

even if one
has to be a dog—
a bitch:

dog, dog, dog
dog, serpent, horse
dog, cow, boar.

Even if it means
I am witch—
that old crone at the cauldron

stirring willows, dark yew, blackthorn.
It took a torch, a key, a dagger
to cut away a past.

Cindy Veach is the author of Her Kind (CavanKerry Press) a finalist for the 2022 Eric Hoffer Montaigne Medal and an IPPY Silver Medalist in poetry, Gloved Against Blood (CavanKerry Press), a finalist for the Paterson Poetry Prize and a Massachusetts Center for the Book ‘Must Read,’ and the chapbook, Innocents (Nixes Mate). Her poems have appeared in the Academy of American Poets Poem-a-Day, AGNI, Michigan Quarterly Review, Poet Lore, North American Review, Salamander and elsewhere. Cindy is the recipient of the Philip Booth Poetry Prize and the Samuel Allen Washington Prize. She is poetry co-editor of MER.

Katie Manning is the author of Hereverent (Agape Editions), Tasty Other (winner of the Main Street Rag Poetry Book Award), and six chapbook collections, including How to Play (Louisiana Literature Press) and 28,065 Nights (River Glass Books). Her poem “What to Expect” was featured on the Poetry Unbound podcast, and her poems have appeared in HAD, Poet Lore, SWWIM, Stirring, Thimble, Verse Daily, and many other venues. Katie is the founder and editor-in-chief of Whale Road Review and a professor of writing at Point Loma Nazarene University.

The Wardrobe’s Best Dressed: Her Kind by Cindy Veach

This selection, chosen by guest editor Katie Manning, is from 
Her Kind by Cindy Veach, released by CavanKerry Press in 2021.

Practice the Spell: Divorce

Load a tumbler
with ice to the brim.
Spank those fat rectangles
from your grandmother’s pastel-colored ice tray—

where her fingers stuck, so too should yours.
Add tap water until it fills the gaps
between each cube—
take it as cold as it can come

and still pass down your throat.
Repeat after me:
“Please hurt my teeth. Leak into the places
where the enamel is weak. Hurt me.”

Eight eight-ounce glasses every day
until your heart goes numb
until you can stand in front of him
and say that cold word cold.

Cindy Veach is the author of Her Kind (CavanKerry Press) a finalist for the 2022 Eric Hoffer Montaigne Medal and an IPPY Silver Medalist in poetry, Gloved Against Blood (CavanKerry Press), a finalist for the Paterson Poetry Prize and a Massachusetts Center for the Book ‘Must Read,’ and the chapbook, Innocents (Nixes Mate). Her poems have appeared in the Academy of American Poets Poem-a-Day, AGNI, Michigan Quarterly Review, Poet Lore, North American Review, Salamander and elsewhere. Cindy is the recipient of the Philip Booth Poetry Prize and the Samuel Allen Washington Prize. She is poetry co-editor of MER.

Katie Manning is the author of Hereverent (Agape Editions), Tasty Other (winner of the Main Street Rag Poetry Book Award), and six chapbook collections, including How to Play (Louisiana Literature Press) and 28,065 Nights (River Glass Books). Her poem “What to Expect” was featured on the Poetry Unbound podcast, and her poems have appeared in HAD, Poet Lore, SWWIM, Stirring, Thimble, Verse Daily, and many other venues. Katie is the founder and editor-in-chief of Whale Road Review and a professor of writing at Point Loma Nazarene University.

The Wardrobe’s Best Dressed: Her Kind by Cindy Veach

This selection, chosen by guest editor Katie Manning, is from 
Her Kind by Cindy Veach, released by CavanKerry Press in 2021.

I, Kikimora

The spider first classified
the year I wed—

spider smaller than a speck
of straw, spider of the bog

of swamp, wetland, marsh, quagmire.
A mere wisp of khaki chaff, of hair,

a sphinx moth, night butterfly, invisible
wraith who slips through the keyhole

after dark—both beautiful and ugly,
whiny, glass half-empty noisemaker,

dish breaker, home-wrecker—
wet footprints across his heart.

Cindy Veach is the author of Her Kind (CavanKerry Press) a finalist for the 2022 Eric Hoffer Montaigne Medal and an IPPY Silver Medalist in poetry, Gloved Against Blood (CavanKerry Press), a finalist for the Paterson Poetry Prize and a Massachusetts Center for the Book ‘Must Read,’ and the chapbook, Innocents (Nixes Mate). Her poems have appeared in the Academy of American Poets Poem-a-Day, AGNI, Michigan Quarterly Review, Poet Lore, North American Review, Salamander and elsewhere. Cindy is the recipient of the Philip Booth Poetry Prize and the Samuel Allen Washington Prize. She is poetry co-editor of MER.

Katie Manning is the author of Hereverent (Agape Editions), Tasty Other (winner of the Main Street Rag Poetry Book Award), and six chapbook collections, including How to Play (Louisiana Literature Press) and 28,065 Nights (River Glass Books). Her poem “What to Expect” was featured on the Poetry Unbound podcast, and her poems have appeared in HAD, Poet Lore, SWWIM, Stirring, Thimble, Verse Daily, and many other venues. Katie is the founder and editor-in-chief of Whale Road Review and a professor of writing at Point Loma Nazarene University.

Sundress Academy for the Arts Presents October Reading Series

The Sundress Academy for the Arts is pleased to announce the guests for the October installment of our reading series, poets Alexa White and Maggie Rue Hess. Join us on Thursday, October 19th  at Pretentious Beer Co. from 7:00-9:00 PM for a reading followed by an open mic hosted by Shlagha Borah. Sign-up for the open mic begins at 7PM sharp and is limited to 10-12 readers.

Photo of Alexa White

Alexa White is a mixed-race, neurodivergent writer and graduate of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where she earned her BA in creative writing and studio art. While attending, she won the 2022 Bain-Swiggett prize for traditional poetry forms and her poetry and art has appeared in Phoenix, the school’s literary and arts magazine. Alexa lives in Knoxville, her semi-hometown, and is the Grants Manager at Sundress Academy for the Arts. She takes delight in backroads, quarries, and the last few seconds of sunset and redefines her bedtime nightly.

person in green jacket and yellow hat standing in front of Christmas lights

Maggie Rue Hess (she/her) is a PhD student living in Knoxville, Tennessee, with her partner and their two crusty white dogs. Her work has previously appeared in Rattle, Minnesota Review, Connecticut River Review, and other publications; her debut chapbook, The Bones That Map Us, is forthcoming from Belle Point Press in February 2024. She likes to practice latte art, share baked goods, do her best at trivia, and be over-involved at school.

This event is brought to you in part by grants provided by the Witter Bynner Foundation for Poetry and the Tennessee Arts Commission.

Our community partner for October is Knox Pride. Knox Pride is formally referred to as the East Tennessee Equality Council (Inc.), founded in 2006. They’ve grown to not only hold recurring annual events, but they are fulfilling their mission as educators, communicators, and representatives of their community through their community and outreach center, and the events that they facilitate.

Their developing community and outreach center will be another place for people to find a home base in the Knoxville LGBTQ+ community. They intend to have resources, referrals, and services for other parts of their community. Plus, they’ll host events, and meetings, and allow other groups to come to use their space as a gathering center for their cause. Long-term, they envision a space where people can learn more about their pride community, come get tailored for their next interview, or utilize their food pantry if you’re someone who is in need. All of that, and more to come.

Knox Pride Fest, what they’re traditionally known for, is an open celebration of music, entertainment and speakers focused on promoting equality and inclusion for all. Throughout the weekend, vendors will have the opportunity to display information about their organization and/or business, sell or hand out items of interest and interact with our community to promote inclusion and equality for the LGBTQ+ and ally citizens of Knoxville and surrounding areas. They also host other events like a silent ArtOut auction, a Next-2-Nothing fashion show, a pride picnic, and more events throughout the year — with more added annually.

To learn more, go to knoxpride.com and read about all the wonderful work they are doing. In addition to raising money for Knox Pride this month, we will also be running a food drive at our Reading Series event on October 19th to help stock the food pantries Knox Pride runs. Please join us on the 19th with any goods you can share.

The Wardrobe’s Best Dressed: Her Kind by Cindy Veach

This selection, chosen by guest editor Katie Manning, is from 
Her Kind by Cindy Veach, released by CavanKerry Press in 2021.

Woman Climbs Statue of Liberty in Protest

Therese Patricia Okoumou, Guilty of Trespassing, 2018

She said, I climb to protest our nation’s “zero
tolerance” immigration policy. She said, I climb
to abolish ICE. They said, trespasser. They said,
disorderly conduct. When she sat on the skirts
of Lady Liberty, we watched them climb
after her. They said, get down. Our hero
said, I’m not discouraged. She made her bed.
And we watched and cheered and put a curse
on those who wanted to arrest her
for protesting putting children into cages.
Oh yes, we witches watched her carry our truth
up and over that ledge like a beautiful sooth-
sayer, strong and lithe. Goodbye Dark Ages.
We climb with her. We climb with her.

Cindy Veach is the author of Her Kind (CavanKerry Press) a finalist for the 2022 Eric Hoffer Montaigne Medal and an IPPY Silver Medalist in poetry, Gloved Against Blood (CavanKerry Press), a finalist for the Paterson Poetry Prize and a Massachusetts Center for the Book ‘Must Read,’ and the chapbook, Innocents (Nixes Mate). Her poems have appeared in the Academy of American Poets Poem-a-Day, AGNI, Michigan Quarterly Review, Poet Lore, North American Review, Salamander and elsewhere. Cindy is the recipient of the Philip Booth Poetry Prize and the Samuel Allen Washington Prize. She is poetry co-editor of MER.

Katie Manning is the author of Hereverent (Agape Editions), Tasty Other (winner of the Main Street Rag Poetry Book Award), and six chapbook collections, including How to Play (Louisiana Literature Press) and 28,065 Nights (River Glass Books). Her poem “What to Expect” was featured on the Poetry Unbound podcast, and her poems have appeared in HAD, Poet Lore, SWWIM, Stirring, Thimble, Verse Daily, and many other venues. Katie is the founder and editor-in-chief of Whale Road Review and a professor of writing at Point Loma Nazarene University.

The Wardrobe’s Best Dressed: Her Kind by Cindy Veach

This selection, chosen by guest editor Katie Manning, is from 
Her Kind by Cindy Veach, released by CavanKerry Press in 2021.

I, Witch

So what if I woke up changed it’s not like I’m a wild hog 
or some Evill thing          not a Reall hog 
that follows you home         Jumps into the window 
a Munky with Cocks feete w’th Claws       don’t believe 
what my Accuser says       or believe it
the fact is       my divorce attorney’s building
sits on the site of the prison    where they kept the Accused 
in Chaines      in 1692      I came there with a silk scarf 
worn loosely    at the neck    borders looped 
with colored thread     he came   with daisies   dark
chocolate      and proclaimed 
my wife came towards me and found fault with me 
downstairs   in the dungeon   they chained us to the walls 
to keep our spirits from escaping    in the Liknes of a bird

Cindy Veach is the author of Her Kind (CavanKerry Press) a finalist for the 2022 Eric Hoffer Montaigne Medal and an IPPY Silver Medalist in poetry, Gloved Against Blood (CavanKerry Press), a finalist for the Paterson Poetry Prize and a Massachusetts Center for the Book ‘Must Read,’ and the chapbook, Innocents (Nixes Mate). Her poems have appeared in the Academy of American Poets Poem-a-Day, AGNI, Michigan Quarterly Review, Poet Lore, North American Review, Salamander and elsewhere. Cindy is the recipient of the Philip Booth Poetry Prize and the Samuel Allen Washington Prize. She is poetry co-editor of MER.

Katie Manning is the author of Hereverent (Agape Editions), Tasty Other (winner of the Main Street Rag Poetry Book Award), and six chapbook collections, including How to Play (Louisiana Literature Press) and 28,065 Nights (River Glass Books). Her poem “What to Expect” was featured on the Poetry Unbound podcast, and her poems have appeared in HAD, Poet Lore, SWWIM, Stirring, Thimble, Verse Daily, and many other venues. Katie is the founder and editor-in-chief of Whale Road Review and a professor of writing at Point Loma Nazarene University.