Spoils

Deeply lyric meditations on power, ecology, and political engagement.

Beginning with the delivery of a diplomatic soccer ball to Henry Kissinger and culminating in a transformative road trip through the Deep South, these three poem cycles navigate the contradictions of modern life and morality. From exploring the deification of athletes and statesmen to considering the instincts that lead a sea turtle to nest in a Wal-Mart parking lot, Mathys revels in exploding the lyrical terrain of paradox.

Ted Mathys is the author of two previous books of poetry, The Spoils and Forge, both from Coffee House Press. The recipient of fellowships and awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, New York Foundation for the Arts, and Poetry Society of America, his work has appeared in American Poetry Review, BOMB, Boston Review, Conjunctions, and elsewhere. He holds an MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and an MA in international environmental policy from Tufts University. He lives in Saint Louis and teaches at Saint Louis University.