Reckless - by Andrea MacPherson (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

In this powerful new poetry collection, Andrea MacPherson deftly explores-- and skewers-- the ways in which a woman's experience is invalidated by contemporary culture. Visceral, candid, and revelatory, Reckless follows the complex trajectory of female identity in a world that consistently denies women their right to assert it. Tackling an array of urgent topics, including reproductive rights, the trials of motherhood, the pain of divorce, and sexual emancipation, MacPherson details the realities women face throughout their lives and conjures both their fear and bravery in the face of relentless judgment. By urgently unpacking the impossible weight of gendered expectations, Reckless strips back limiting definitions consistently thrust upon women. Together, these poems become an unflinching portrait of " what a girl means" and a striking commentary on what the female body wants and endures.

Review Quotes

"Reckless is a brash collection of poems which chooses not to care what the naysayers think. These are poems of witness, of testament, of prayer, even, for too many kinds of death, for living in the body of a woman in a world not built for her, for everyday heartaches too big and unwieldy to comprehend with anything but a poem. Campfire-confessional, Reckless spills all the T in a rush, more than we think we should hear, with such generosity and trust, MacPherson leaves us feeling special, like we're the only bestie who was invited to listen." --Michael V. Smith, author of Soundtrack: A Lyric Memoir

"Reckless pierces through the onerous layers society imposes on women to get to the beating heart of what it means to be a girl, a mother, a lover, a best friend. These poems are sharp and soft, intimate and expansive, showing us the breadth of womanhood in the smallest and biggest of moments, in the words we speak and the ones we keep hidden." --Jen Sookfong Lee, author of Superfan: How Pop Culture Broke My Heart

"In Reckless, Andrea MacPherson runs her finger along the serrated edges of femininity. Drawing 'words like blood, ' the poems probe the violence of inheritance--literary, sexual, historical--and masterfully conjure hard-won joy and camaraderie in its wake. The poet crafts a wild, resonant lyric that stitches together survival and pleasure, sewing up old wounds like embroidery." --Adèle Barclay, author of Renaissance Normcore

About the Author

ANDREA MACPHERSON is the author of four poetry collections and three novels. She has been shortlisted for the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize, longlisted for the ReLit Award, and selected for CBC Canada Reads: People's Choice. Andrea holds an MFA in creative writing from the University of British Columbia, is the former editor of Prism International, and has taught creative writing and literature at a number of universities. She lives in Cloverdale, BC with her daughter.