Melisa Cahnmann-Taylor

I am horrible at articulating why I like some poems and don't really respond to others, but I really enjoyed this collection of poetry by Melisa Cahnmann-Taylor. As you may guess from the title, the author is concerned with exploring language -- learning it (especially English-speaking Americans learning Spanish), teaching it, and using it to explore the interplay between being a mother and being a daughter. Cahnmann-Taylor has an inventive sense of form, which plays well with with the content of her poems. This was a strong and compelling collection, and one I'd recommend to any poetry-enjoyer or Spanish-language learner.… (plus d'informations)

Imperfect Tense is a volume of poetry by Melisa Cahnmann-Taylor. The first two sections are primarily concerned with language: language acquisition (Spanish as a second language and other language learners) and poems apparently based on Cahnmann-Taylor's experience as a teacher of language. I found these poems very interesting, especially the prose poems. I read them more, however, for their content than their form.

The third section is focused on family connections and addiction, primarily the narrator's relationship with her dysfunctional mother. I found the poems in this section uneven in quality. Fetal Pig Dissection was especially interesting from a technical point of view.

Overall, the poetry was of inconsistent quality but there were many strong poems. I am glad to have read this work and want to thank LibraryThing for the opportunity to do so in exchange for an honest review.… (plus d'informations)