Battle Dress: Poems

“A terrific and sometimes terrifying collection―morally complex, rhythmic, tough-minded, and original.” ―Rosanna Warren, 2018 Barnard Women Poets Prize citation

In a poetic voice at once accessible and otherworldly, gutsy and insightful, U.S. Army veteran Karen Skolfield offers a rare glimpse of a female soldier’s training and mental conditioning. Through the narratives of a young soldier, her older counterpart, and her fellow soldiers, Skolfield searches for meaning in combat preparation, long-term trauma, and the way war is embedded in our language and psyche.