Friendly Fire

Friendly Fire, Katrina Roberts cycle of fifty-two sonnets, proves the durability and flexibility of the lyric today. A taut narrative scaffolding supports Roberts brief, searing meditations on family, farm labor, friendship, illness, parenting. Colloquial language lends verve. Literal images evoke the texture of farm life. Roberts explores abstraction ( Forgiveness ) with apt metaphor: I shelter the grudge, build / a rustic cabin for it in my chest, pound rusty nails / in to anchor a porch where I sit glaring. At the close of Malignant, the narrator asks a timeless question: what lies in wait for us? Read Friendly Fire for Roberts sensual and wise rendering of the here and now. -- Robin Becker, author of Domain of Perfect Affection Katrina Roberts poems do not admit easy phrasings; instead, they are assembled word by word, each chosen with informed deliberation and a sense of pace. I have followed the track of her lines with heightened attention, eager for her next surprise. -- Billy Collins This is a gorgeous, amazing book. I ve been an admirer of Katrina Roberts poems for years and these poems confirm my long-standing affection. Buy this book now. -- Sherman Alexie, winner of the National Book Award 2007

Katrina Roberts’ poems do not admit easy phrasings; instead, they are assembled word by word, each chosen with informed deliberation and a sense of pace. I have followed the track of her lines with heightened attention, eager for her next surprise.