I Will Not Give Over

A sort of Southern-fried Follain, Rebecca Cook, in I Will Not Give Over, has taken up the splendors of that often overlooked poet's Canisy, his fond and mysterious song of childhood that remains a touchstone (along with his Transparence of the World, and A World Rich in Anniversaries). Ms. Cook's memory is a thing of wonder—and finds its expression in these gorgeous poems, reminiscent of the master's elegance: the just-so detail, the evocative image. And, believe me, when I invoke Follain, something very good is going on here. —Danny Lawless, Editor of Plume The greatest quality of the prose poems in I Will Not Give Over is the one quality a writer can’t beg, borrow, or steal: they are genuine. They are disquieting, beautiful, upsetting, and exacting. Here, “Love shows up first dressed in fear.” These are poems playing for keeps. —Sue William Silverman, author of Hieroglyphics in Neon, Lovesick, and Because I Remember Terror, Father, I Remember You