AUTOMATION by April Gibson

AUTOMATION is a mother’s testimony. We play fly on the bedroom, bathroom, and hospital walls, as the speaker in these poems laments the body and soul bruising burdens of motherhood. These poems are unafraid and the gut churning visceral descriptions are without warning. We find ourselves scratching for survival when unexpected disasters try breaking us. And just when we are too orphaned to recover, Gibson’s songs provide a sanctified redemption, and in that moment we are remade. Anchored to the shoulders of Gwendolyn Brooks, AUTOMATION is the remaking of the body, spirit, and young mother’s narrative. It is the lexicon of South and Westside Chicago told through shamanistic wisdom. It reminds that there is no greater sacrifice than the one our preservation depends on. April Gibson is amongst the exciting young voices in American poetry.