a book of poetry by Anna Leigh Knowles
Lost Horse Press, 80 pages, $20
Publication Year: 2024

Review by Jacob Butlett

Winner of the Idaho Prize for Poetry, In the Country of Hard Life and Rosebuds stimulates the senses, thanks in large part to poet Anna Leigh Knowles’ adept command of poetic rhetoric. Comprising five sections, Knowles’ follow-up book of poems presents mesmerizing narratives and lyric passages rooted in familial longing. Knowles transports readers across time, conjuring images of her native Kentucky. From start to finish, she invokes the legacy of loved ones—especially her grandfather, great-grandmother, and uncle—ultimately confronting malaise caused by geographical and spiritual displacement.

Knowles crafts clear, creative scenes to impart sensitive information about her past and her love of and appreciation for her family. She often implements long poems with long lines to develop narrative clarity and emotional nuance without the added risk of perplexing readers. Therefore, like durable clotheslines flapping in a gust of wind, long lines can often “carry” more narrative detail more effectively than short lines. In “Check’s, Almost Every Night,” she writes about family members in long, flowing sentences:

The average line in poetry tends to be seven to nine syllables long. Most of the lines above exceed that syllable count. Notice how her lines—some enjambed while most relying on caesuras (most notably, the commas and periods)—regulate the flow and meaning of the unfolding scene, which features many, many family members. In addition, the expanding use of white space adds to the narrative rhythm, forcing readers to slow down lest they miss something vital in the book’s thematic arc—from Knowles’ ongoing confrontation of her own loneliness to her exploration of nostalgia’s bittersweetness. 

Indeed, my favorite aspect of the book must be Knowles’ masterful utilization of literary ambivalence—that is, the merging of contradictory or opposing emotions meant to highlight the complexity of the human condition. Happiness, for instance, can be tinged with sorrow just as sorrow can be masked with happiness. In “Cooking Lessons,” Knowles recounts learning to cook with a family member:

Knowles illustrates her time learning to cook, implying the connection between food and relationships: even though both can be “messy” or imperfect (like a sunken dessert), both can be beautifully memorable (like a rich scent). That sums up most of the family relationships throughout the book: imperfect but beautifully memorable.In the Country of Hard Life and Rosebuds presents a panoramic, iridescent look into the imagination of poet Anne Leigh Knowles. Her sprawling verse complements her domestic themes—abundant yet never fulsome, heartfelt yet never sentimental, sophisticated yet never obtuse. In Knowles’ sensational second book of poems, she manages to welcome readers into the sanctum of her soul, where the past, present, and future sharpen into baroque visions of melancholia and longing.

Jacob Butlett is a three-time Pushcart Prize- and one-time Best of the Net-nominated author with an A.A. in Liberal Arts, B.A. in Creative Writing, and M.F.A. in Poetry. Jacob’s creative works have been published in many journals, including the Colorado Review, The Hollins Critic, The MacGuffin, Lunch Ticket, and Into the Void.