Description
It could account for the panic
by Liz Whiteacre
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What if seizures were catalysts for creativity? It could account for the panic is a collection of persona poems that leap from a composer’s experiences with Temporal Lobe Epilepsy (TLE), exploring the surreal, unpredictable nature of living with a neurological disorder. Through themes of adversity and resilience, the collection offers readers another perspective on disability and highlights our capacity to adapt, learn, and grow.
Liz Whiteacre’s poetry explores accident, disability, aging, and wellness. She is the author of Hit the Ground (Finishing Line Press, 2013), and her poems have appeared in Wordgathering, Disability Studies Quarterly, Kaleidoscope, Breath & Shadow, Flying Island, and other publications. Whiteacre is an associate professor of English at the University of Indianapolis. She teaches writing and publishing there, as well as advises Etchings Press.
The composer Meadow Bridgham makes new music from old ideas—a kind of musical upcycling, an antique restoration. Recent appearances of their music include the Rivera Court at the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Utzon Room at Sydney Opera House, and Merkin Hall at New York’s Kaufman Music Center. Meadow holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Yale School of Music, where their Violin Sonata was awarded the Frances E. Osborne Kellogg Memorial Prize for best composition written in a contrapuntal style.
TAK Erzinger –
In it could account for panic, Whiteacre bravely gives voice to Bridgham’s struggles with Temporal Lobe Epilepsy (TLE). Bold, painful and sensitive these poems echo the emotional turmoil and loneliness that are felt in the throes of such symptoms. The poignant poems are stunning in their honesty and intensity providing a map of Bridgham’s emotional landscape, offering hope.
-TAK Erzinger, poet and artist
Rachel Calderone-English and Student Media Teacher Portage Township Schools –
Whiteacre brings to life the experiences of Temporal Lobe Epilepsy (TLE) in collaboration with musician Bridgham in It Could Account for the Panic. Merging diction from the natural world of gardening with that of musical and medical terminology, Whiteacre aptly crafts a narrative that places the reader right in the shoes of one living with TLE. Whiteacre paints a picture for the reader— “I fly on strings of floss thin like sugar,”— bringing the often isolating feeling of living with a disability to the forefront. These poems will stick with you.
Kevin Maines –
Review by Anna Yarrow, Writer/Photographer
I found threads of commonality within Liz Whiteacre’s poetry collection it could account for the panic. As a former EMT student, I’ve attended to patients with epilepsy; those who have lost balance and fallen, and in the most extreme case, crashed and flipped a vehicle during an episode they don’t remember. Whiteacre skillfully renders Meadow Bridgham’s inner commentary including gaps in awareness and control. Her urgent questions induce panic, empathy, and awe in the reader. I felt a visceral reaction to the line: “I am a shadow in this stairwell / that twists like putty in toddlers’ hands.” I also create through the lens of diagnosis (Autism), wrangling beauty from sensory overwhelm, and plant a rainbow of zinnias in my garden each summer, so I recognize snippets of self in the experiences shared through these poems.