There is a cerebral aspect to Alexander's poetry collection that engaged me from the start. These poems don't require, but benefit from a knowledge of geography and history--particularly of conflicts. They are full of what Instapoetry lacks, a masterful manipulation of language that evokes rather than explain emotions.

Thank you Northwestwrn University Press and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in return for my honest review.

Poetry is a rather new genre for me to read. I dipped into this book over a number of weeks, reading bits here and there.

I love descriptive writing and being drawn into the landscape of other people’s lives and geographies. Some of the poems in this book satisifed this hunger others were not able to. Perhaps when I read more of this genre in the future, I will come back to this book with a deeper overall appreciation of the authors work.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

In this poetry collection, Meena Alexander doesn't shy away from some of the hardest images there are, including violence and death. But the poet writes in a way that does these images justice, putting context along with artistry.

These poems are also ones that focus just as much on sound as subject. I could easily image these being performed out loud and be just as enjoyable as reading them alone in your room, particularly the title poem of the collection.

https://medium.com/@michellereneekidwell_95261/book-review-atmospheric-embroidery-75c740a76937?source=linkShare-fc43cf21e946-1521668459

Well-written poetry. The themes explored didn't especially resonate with me, but I definitely appreciated Alexander's skill in crafting her poems.

Atmospheric Embroidery: Poems by Meena Alexander is a collection of poetry reflecting on life on three continents. The poets earliest memories are of India and childhood. Later they move to Sudan and the violence there. Other poems reflect on her final stop -- New York.

The poems are written in mostly a standard and recognized format. A majority of the poems are written in open couplet form without rhymes. This adds to the meaning and imagery presented. Halting the reader, pausing and then continuing even in midthought. Fourteen lines poems also make an appearance but do not have the rhyme scheme of a sonnet, but at first glance, the reader, like I did, might think it a sonnet.

The subject matter varies with region and with time. The images of death and violence on women are particularly played out in the poems about Sudan. "Nurredin" is an exceptionally well-done example with the violence obscured through a childlike vision. "Moksha" however, leaves little to the imagination with the actions of a Delhi rape gang. Like all our memories, the poet's grows and things are remembered, remembered partially, remembered incorrectly, but add to our consciousness. All of the poems contribute to the four line final poem "Indian Ocean Blues." A well-written collection of culture and cultural observations as well as violence in all cultures.

Available June 15, 2018

This powerful collection of poetry by a diasporic woman of colour evokes the depths of connection to people and places long distanced from, as one navigates paths forged in colonialism!