Bird Ornaments, Bird Ornaments

PRAISE for Bird OrnamentsIn Angel Dionne’s new book, Bird Ornaments, we see the world in different, dazzling parts, which don’t add up into something we can immediately grasp. Her poems are surrealist because they elevate, turn, and collapse the world into a kaleidoscopic dream that reverberates through “this glass prison.” “The alphabet sings to her” and, unafraid, she sings right back. Listen to “A whole river grows from [her] mouth.” Listen to the vowels and consonants, verbs, and nouns, of this oracular poet as “she parts the sea with her tongue.”– John Yau, winner of the American Book Award and author of Corpse and MirrorBird Ornaments achieves a masterful balance between surprising surrealist imagery and a hyper-focus on the language of the body. The collection features a powerful range of poetry, from reflective vignettes like the title track, to "A Fairy Tale for Children" (not for children), to the ruthlessly poignant maxims of "Life Cycles." A strong recommendation for fans of Jennifer O'Grady.– Peter Medeiros, author of Deeply Gravely Quite Anxiously ConcernedIn her book Bird Ornaments, Angel Dionne creates surreal vignettes of human states by employing unusual metaphors, reification, and satirical language to provoke the reader to see experience from a different perspective. Her poems provide us with alternative insights to understand our own identity in today’s world…– Laurence Hutchman, author of Swimming Toward the SunAngel Dionne's Bird Ornaments is a filigree maze of tiny bird bones leading from family memories to scuzzy downtown bars. Fear, desire, and the marvellous lie in wait. Buy this book, damn you!– Stuart Inman, author of Remora