Call Me When You Want to Talk about the Tombstones: Poems [Paperback]

In thisbook-length poetry sequence, a mother inherits a leather box that was hergrandmothers. Her daughter joins her on a reconstruction of family history.Together they traipse through graveyards and sift through endless photos andclippings, piecing together what used to be in order to understand who theyare.These sprawling, collagic prose poems pull language from old letters, articles, and notes from both Hoffman and her mother.... Amid an artful probing of memory, Hoffman poses a profound question toher readers: What is the exact volume of scrap and residue we mustleave behind?These poems arent so much new as ancient, primal. And yet Hoffmans surprising language makes them feel like a discovery.... a necessary book. If life and death are inextricably wound together (and they are) it is impossible to write aboutone without at least touching on the other. In this powerful,scintillating collection, Hoffman tackles both subjects head on,describing the various outcomes of pregnancy and, occasionally, birth.Hoffmans poetry is dense, luscious and strongly narrative...Hoffman uses research extensively, and it adds a depth and range&that many contemporary poets do not achieve.