While Mercury Fish by Ana C. H. Silva
$14.99
Ana Silva‘s haunting chapbook While Mercury Fish chilled and frightened me with its poignant destruction, and still, even amidst the harrowing despair in the aftermath of an ecological crisis where the “mercury fish” are seeping and the water and air are tinged with “disease or contagion,” Silva provides flashes of communal hope, shows us what she would have reached for in an emergency, from her Almay medium concealer to her Calvin Klein jeans, to her children—forever out of reach. This collection captivated me, as I turned quickly through the pages to find out what disaster had struck and whether the speaker and her precious things would emerge safely. In short, striking, vivid poems, Silva brings our worst fears to life, and reminds us what we humans can survive, together. She reminds of us the small things we will most remember, the nourishment shared in a hot meal, something sweet, and a bit of bread for the soul: “What we shared last night – the bowl of hot ramen, the almost-tasty apple, your half bag of M&Ms, our conversation about poetry.” I highly recommend this poignant reminder of what we still have to hold onto, even in the midst of our current chaos.
–Jenn Givhan, Girl With Death Mask and Rosa’s Einstein
“The poems of While Mercury Fish are rich with imagery and awareness, navigating a sense dread yet eluding a tone of hopelessness. Ana Silva renders a post-apocalyptic landscape into a place of love, where a stolen conversation about poetry over a shared half-bag of M&Ms reminds us what life is about. This is a book to be savored, especially in times of despair. Silva’s voice is of courage and comfort. I will be reaching for these poems again and again.”
–Stacey Balkun, editor of Fiolet & Wing: An Anthology of Domestic Fabuist Poetry & author of Jackalope-Girl Learns to Speak
Description
While Mercury Fish
by Ana C. H. Silva
$14.99, paper
978-1-64662-259-7
2020
These poems of speculation land us in a world just a few minutes from now where things have just started to go wrong; the floods and fires are both real and also metaphorical, an expression of the earth’s anger intertwining with the potency of female rage. It’s a time where it’s hard to be a good person, and also where we look for our humanity: while picking up a colorful street feather, while sharing a bowl of ramen, while squeezing the fingers of a child in the muddy mess of the streets.
Ana C. H. Silva lives in NYC and the Catskills. Her poems live in various print and online journals. She won the inaugural Rachel Wetzsteon Memorial Poetry Prize at the 92nd St. Y Unterberg Poetry Center, and her 2019 chapbook, One Cupped Hand Above the Other, is with Dancing Girl Press.
Ana C. H. Silva –
Author Bio: Ana C. H. Silva lives in East Harlem, NYC and West Shokan, NY. Her poems are in Podium, Rogue Agent, The Mom Egg Review, the nth position, Snow Monkey, Chronogram, StepAway Magazine, Anemone Sidecar, Between the Lines, Tinderbox Poetry Journal, and Shantih Journal. Ana created “Olive Couplets,” an Olive, NY community-based poetry work, and “Lines in the Woods,” an outdoor, interactive poetry installation at the CHHS in Rosendale, NY. Since 2016, Ana has curated the MER online Gallery. She won the inaugural Rachel Wetzsteon Memorial Poetry Prize at the 92nd St. Y Unterberg Poetry Center. Her 2019 poetry chapbook, One Cupped Hand Above the Other, is with Dancing Girl Press. Her 2020 poetry chapbook, While Mercury Fish, is with Finishing Line Press.