The Great Repression

Shannon Cuthrell's artfully composed The Great Repression is a collection of original poems scanning a manic-depressed period in Cuthrell's life. The book is beautifully condensed into jagged, elliptical, vivid and sometimes funny images, accompanied by surreal illustrations by her dear brother and collaborator Bradford Cuthrell. Her work is infused with richly developed scenes that include cocktail-party demons, Pink Floyd references and bass drum fingertips. The Great Repression appeals to all senses, and also to the heart in the way it finds language for deep emotions. This is a lovely and hopeful book and marks the debut of a major new American poet.