The Wet Collection

Tevis, Joni

ISBN 10: 1571313036 / ISBN 13: 9781571313034

Published by Milkweed Editions, 2007

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Synopsis:

Joni Tevis’s concern is with the precise relationship of components in the world: how one element in an environment interacts with others. How does the antique taxidermy in a natural science museum relate to the living birds outside the window? How do the opals found by campers, stored in mineral oil to conserve the water trapped inside, relate to the water table? “My practice is observation. How do relationships illuminate?” Using such models as Joseph Cornell’s box constructions, crazy quilts, and specimen displays, Tevis places fragments in relationship to each other in order to puzzle out lost histories, particularly those of women. Throughout The Wet Collection, the narrator navigates the peril and excitement of an outward journey complicated by an inward longing for home.

Reviews: Tevis's writing, a showcase for her interests in religion, memoir, natural study and women's history, is precise and unique, and in this collection of musings, she builds big ideas out of small fragments. She captures, for instance, the attitude of a modern airplane passenger ("Today I'm a traveler, a person suspended. Today I'll do only what is asked") as well as that of a long-gone pioneer ("They left in a hurry, most of them, as if they'd hung on as long as they could, and when they finally gave in, they didn't have a minute to spare"). Tevis's range is impressive: her sardonic recollection of her work as a funeral home salesperson makes for a fun essay, while in another piece she imparts a singular voice in imagining the thoughts of a farmer's wife. Some of the pieces are too brief to make an impact, but even in the shortest, Travis shows a poet's care for cadence and word choice. Far from the typical memoir or essay collection, this volume showcases a unique, meticulous and inviting voice.
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Bibliographic Details

Title: The Wet Collection
Publisher: Milkweed Editions
Publication Date: 2007
Binding: hardcover
Condition: Very Good