Mortal

Poetry. In her remarkable first collection, Ivy Alvarez's MORTAL examines the relationship between Dee and Seph -- modern-day reinventions of Demeter and Persephone -- and how the specter of breast cancer affects them. 'Mortal' spans years and personalities, giving voice to mother and daughter in poems that are both visceral ("they had to unzip me / to let the cat / out of the bag // blood bathed my belly") and quietly elegant ("how do I hold you / I wonder, as I'm holding you").