Title: Eggphrasis
Author: Ronnie Hess is an essayist, editor, journalist and poet, the author of six poetry books and two award-winning culinary travel guides (Ginkgo Press). Born and raised in New York City, she lives in Madison, WI with her husband and some chickens in the backyard.
Genre/page length: Poetry – 71 pages
Date published/publisher: 2023/Word Poetry
Reviewer: Rebecca Hallie Swanson
In her new poetry collection, Eggphrasis, Ronnie Hess paints portraits of hens with the kind of panache and originality that urges the reader to turn each page to be introduced to fowl who are shy and braggadocio, barren and fecund, churlish and boisterous – and more.
Although hens’ personalities dominate the pages in this engaging volume, there’s more here to consider: The natural beauty of feathers and eggs. The commitment needed to properly care for these creatures. The multiple ways in which readers may consider their own lives, seen through the prism of a hen’s physical antics and life cycle that calls for self-reliance and reliance on others. In this vein, consider “Chicken Rapture” which gives voice to a plucky hen whose behavior markedly changes when gifted with the treat of oatmeal, rather than the usual dry pellets. “The Zoo” informs on the care of hens, like and unlike caring for a child, with a tone that expresses love and a tinge of frustration.
Hess veers from hens (though not fowl) with keen observations as seen in the spare “Cross-Country Skiing in March,” a tight look at the wonder of a sandhill crane in a delicate pose. She ponders the use of feathers serving as writing instruments in “Scratch That” and “Plume.” “Luna Moth” and “Early Morning Ramble” partner in an elegant way, again with language that draws the reader into sensory details that embrace nature.
Playing on the book’s thoroughly original title, the author includes some ekphrastic poems that provide a rich expansion on her theme, particularly with “Portrait of a Flight” after a photo by Lynsey Addario. The impact of war on families is the point of the photo; Hess centers on a hen in the arms of an anxious young girl desperate to escape impending violence and destruction.
If you have ever raised, never raised, or wondered about the life of chickens, crack open Eggphrasis by author Ronnie Hess to find a palette of poems that will gift you with expertly crafted language and a new appreciation for the fascinating fowl among us.
Reviewer: Rebecca Hallie Swanson worked for 30 years leading communications in the arenas of health care, insurance, higher education, the arts and membership associations in the Twin Cities and Chicago. She is a member of Wisconsin Writer’s Association, serving on its Board, and the Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets. Rebecca and her partner live in Northwest Wisconsin, where she devotes time to writing across genres, volunteering for her lake association, taming culinary challenges and planning new adventures.
