Introduction

Mortal by Ivy AlvarezIvy Alvarez is the author of Mortal, a book of poems that examines the relationship between Dee and Seph — modern-day reinventions of Demeter and Persephone — and how the spectre of breast cancer affects them. [more]

Mortal is a delicate tour de force ...
—Ernesto Priego, Not Even Dogs

The achievement of the poems in this collection lies in part in their counterpoising of the profoundly personal with a kind of objectivist impersonality, with the discovery of idioms in which the two can co-exist.
—Patricia Prime, editor of Kokako

Alvarez’s casual tone, visceral imagery, and surprising figurative language keeps the reader engaged throughout.
—Craig Santos Perez, all with ocean views

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