Ripped

<p>Picking up where <i>Come Clean</i> left off, Joshua Nguyen's second collection of poems offers the reader a supercharged vision of a body in motion, seeking the keys to happiness.</p> <p>From "Shoulder Day Motivational Speech by Sisyphus" to "Sestina for Each Set in the Gym," and from "Spine Compression Mirrored Sonnet" to "Haibun for the Asian Body Doing Infinite Push-Ups in a Mississippi Field," the poems in this collection are laser-focused on both the craft of writing and the effort to craft a body. The sensibilities and the cleverness delve deep, revealing inner pain, outer doubts, and the constant motion of a search for belonging.</p> <p>Experimenting with global traditional forms (ghazal, sestina, aubade, sonnet, haibun) and inventing interactive structures reminiscent of Mad Libs, Nguyen effortlessly breathes life into unexpected places. <i>Ripped </i>is a tour-de-force collection that methodically excises all the loneliness out of a body destined to be both loved and scrutinized.</p> <p>"I wish I could grasp <br/> the elements, could look at grass <br/> <br/> & see photosynthesis & life & love <br/> instead of itch & sweat & grass <br/> <br/> stained skin."</p> <p>—Excerpt from "I Wish, How I Wish Ghazal"</p>