Craven is an exceptional debut: Jane Arthur delights, unnerves, and challenges in poems that circle both the everyday and the ineffable--piano practice, past lives, and being forced onto dancefloors. This is a smart and disarming collection that traces the ever-changing forms of light and dark in our lives, and how our eyes adjust, despite ourselves, as we go along.
Exploring themes of anxiety, time, and existential reflection, Jane Arthur's collection juxtaposes the cosmic with the personal. Her poems traverse a wide range of imagery, from celestial bodies to everyday objects, creating a rich tapestry of thought. While confronting the weight of despair and the inevitability of endings, Arthur also offers a counterbalance of hope, symbolized by a bear that rests peacefully at the core of her work. This collection invites readers to grapple with profound questions while finding solace in the interplay of light and dark.