Dandelions and Defiance by Chloe Viner

In this fourth collection, Chloe Viner once again invokes power by facing the very worst of human suffering without flinching or looking away. Like lasers, these 24 poems mostly focus on the violence and mental illness that has plagued her family, especially the grief of losing a beloved brother to schizophrenia. Viner is, in her words, a veteran of abuse, and while there is nothing glib or falsely optimistic here, there is beauty in her connection to animals—bees, whales, an injured hen—and in her unexpected imagery: wrangling her desire for death like a rancher wrangling cattle, finding nourishing ways to use the mismatched jigsaw puzzle pieces of her life. Finally, these are poems redeemed by courage and defiance. As she says, Viner died a thousand deaths just to speak these words. Anyone who has suffered will hear them with both empathy and profound respect.