The Lady Missionary, by Gail Dendy

The poems in this collection cunningly infuse realism with elements of fantasy, myth, fables, and fairytales in the process redefining and renegotiating the world. Presented with an astonishing technical versatility and inimitable style, themes include love, revenge, rage, and darkly misplaced desires, with settings where childhood and innocence collide with physical disability and death. Humor, both whimsical and wicked, abounds throughout, but it is the poet's nuanced voice that ultimately stands out, with an innate sense of rhythm, control, structure, and form to bring such magical realism to life.