Member-only story

The Thicket Poems: A Poetic Exploration of Race, Identity, and the American South

Charles Dickens

·18.8k Followers· Follow

Published in The Thicket: Poems (Pitt Poetry Series)

4 min read · 2 weeks before

374 View Claps

69 Respond

Save

Listen

Melissa Range's The Thicket Poems is a powerful and evocative collection of poems that explores the complex and often contradictory experiences of race, identity, and the American South. Range's poems are lyrical and evocative, offering a deeply personal and moving meditation on the ways in which our past and present intersect.

Range's poems are often set in the rural South, and they draw on the region's rich history and culture to explore themes of race, identity, and belonging. In the poem "The Thicket," Range writes about the ways in which the natural world can be a source of both beauty and danger:

The Thicket: Poems (Pitt Poetry Series)

by Kasey Jueds

5 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	606 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Print length	:	95 pages
Item Weight	:	1.55 pounds

The thicket is a place of danger and beauty,
A place where the past and present meet.
The trees are thick and the branches low,
And the air is heavy with the scent of honeysuckle.

The thicket is a metaphor for the complex and often contradictory nature of the South. It is a place where beauty and danger coexist, and where the past and present are constantly intertwined. Range's poems explore the ways in which we negotiate these contradictions, and the ways in which we find our place in the world.

The Thicket Poems is a deeply personal and moving collection of poems that offers a unique and insightful perspective on the American South. Range's poems are lyrical and evocative, and they offer a powerful meditation on the ways in which race, identity, and the past shape our present.

About the Author

Melissa Range is an American poet and essayist. She is the author of four books of poetry, including The Thicket Poems, which won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. Range's poems have appeared in numerous literary journals and anthologies, and she has received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Reviews

"The Thicket Poems is a powerful and moving collection of poems that explores the complex and often contradictory experiences of race, identity, and the American South. Range's poems are lyrical and evocative, and they offer a deeply personal and moving meditation on the ways in which our past and present intersect."
—The New York Times Book Review

"Range's poems are a powerful and moving exploration of the American South, its history, and its people. She writes with a clear-eyed honesty and a deep compassion for her subject."
—The Washington Post

"The Thicket Poems is a stunning achievement. Melissa Range is a poet of extraordinary talent and vision, and her poems will stay with you long after you finish reading them."
—The Guardian

Free Download Your Copy Today

The Thicket Poems is available for Free Download from all major booksellers. You can also Free Download a signed copy directly from the author's website.

The Thicket: Poems (Pitt Poetry Series)

by Kasey Jueds

5 out of 5