Refugees Whose World Was Taken—The Aleppo Poems by Lyn Lifshin

As its first publication in this New Year of 2018,
NightBallet Press is extremely honored to present its fifth Lyn Lifshin collection,

Refugees Whose World Was Taken—The Aleppo Poems

 

 

In this series of thirty-four poems, Lifshin explores the everyday lives of ordinary people facing the extraordinary events in Aleppo, and she does so with empathy and grace.

In the title poem, "We Don't See Politics," (which appears on the back cover of the book),
Lifshin says "...there are no 'us' and 'them' / only what we do together":

WE DON'T SEE POLITICS

we meet people all over
the globe whose world
was taken away from them.
Everywhere similar stories
of sorrow and pain.  Every
where young women
weep for those sunny
afternoons sipping dark
coffee under the shade of
terebinth branches.
In all these places, therapists
committed to dealing
with crisis. They leave politics
out of it. Some say it tis
the Israelis who understand
pain well. Here there
are no "us" and "them"
only what we do together

Christina Zawadiwsky, author of The Hand On The Head Of Lazarus, and winner of a National Endowment of the Arts Award, wrote this about the book:

"Bombs, nightmares, death, no food, pregnancy and birth and fearful families huddling together in their apartments—these are people's daily lives uncomplicated by frills and beauty. Lyn Lifshin is there amongst Syria's inhabitants, shivering, anticipatory, waiting to leave and attempting to be courageous amidst unbelievable restrictions, yet always clinging to a sense of poetry—the poetry of refugees, the poetry of staying alive."


Lifshin's poems touch our hearts with their titles: THE LAST GARDEN IN ALEPPO, WHEN THE BOMBARDMENT IS AT ITS WORST, and ONE FAMILY HAS BAD FEELINGS FOR THE NUMBER SEVEN,

The collage art on the front cover of Refugees Whose World Was Taken—The Aleppo Poems is "She's Golden 10.21.16," by the artist Bree. The photograph from which the collage was made is included inside the book. You can see more of Bree's work at www.theartistbree.com. The cover is a textured coffee-with-cream card stock, with a heavy, textured, black card stock insert.  The text is printed on ivory paper.

 

Lyn Lifshin won the Jack Kerouac Award for her book Kiss the Skin Off, and is the subject of the award-winning documentary film Not Made of Glass. Lifshin earned the distinction "Queen of the Small Presses" for her dedication to the small presses which first published her, and for surviving on her own apart from any major publishing house or academic institution.  Her most recent books includes Little Dancer —The Degas Poems (NBP, 2017), and Oct Tongue 2 (Crisis Chronicles Press, 2017), an anthology of eight poets with thirty-one-plus poems each. For much more, visit www.lynlifshin.com.  

Refugees Whose World Was Taken—The Aleppo Poems is only $10 plus $4 shipping/handling. We will take advance orders for this book, which will be available for mailing January 15, 2018.  You may obtain your very own copy by ordering now through PayPal, right here on this website. You don't have to be a member of PayPal to order; just have a debit or credit card handy. Order your copy today!