“There’s something of a valley girl Beowulf in this listing off—a counting of the spoils, a hoarding, a piling. Indeed, there’s something of Beowulf … to the book at large, a sense that our speaker is recounting an epic poem in the classical sense, a tale of great consequence, one that spans a lifetime.” Read the complete review
“L.J. Sysko’s The Daughter of Man is an exquisite dance in which form, function, image, and metaphor shape a discernible allegory of embodied personae … a masterful collection.” Read the complete review
“Sysko’s witty debut skewers the patriarchy in poems that explore and upend the various societal roles women are expected to play … This whip-smart collection is a playful celebration of feminine power.” Read the complete review
“‘The daughter’ bounces from underworld to Olympus, from grocery to garage. She’s a subsistence feminist, farming her own narrow suburban parcel, pressing bloody hands together in prayerful thanks for the roughest rock in her plot so that she can sit a while. She’s lucky and unlucky; she’s aging yet forever stuck back where the damage …
Viewless Wings Poetry Podcast host James Morehead interviews poet L.J. Sysko about her new book, The Daughter of Man, “her slow journey on Submittable,” and using humor in poetry. Listen to the complete interview
