Literary Louisiana: Books of poetry and craft

1000 Words
Jami Attenberg

“1000 Words: A Writer’s Guide to Staying Creative, Focused, and Productive All Year Round” by Jami Attenberg was born out of her annual summer practice, “1000 Words of Summer.” The practice that was birthed between her and another writer in New Orleans trying to write one thousand words a day has become a movement of tens of thousands of writers each and every day checking in with one another as they spend two weeks trying to write one thousand words a day. In the book, every day includes a writer sharing a craft essay of sorts, which helps set the tone, from writers such as local phenom Maurice Carlos Ruffin and Southern writers like Deesha Philyaw and Kiese Laymon. These are anthologized in this collection, tied together by Attenberg’s writing; “1000 Words” is part writer’s handbook and part a conversation between reader and some of the best writers working to date. 272 pages, $24.99

How to Drown a Boy: Poems
J. Bruce Fuller

J. Bruce Fuller’s “How to Drown a Boy: Poems” explores the relationships between fathers and sons, the relationship between Louisiana and the people who live here. Fuller, a native of Louisiana, wrote a poetry book that tackles head-on climate change and the potential disaster we face. “How to Drown a Boy: Poems” was published by LSU Press. You can read how Fuller captures the relationship between the environment and humans: “Small boys take small steps / and the wood grows darker / each year.” Just like you can hear the rhythm of his poetry in the poem titled “they said,” which uses the title as a refrain for each stanza. 84 pages, $18.95

The Last Shadow
Michael Allen Zell

Michael Allen Zell’s “The Last Shadow” follows the tagline, “3 people, 2 paths, and 1 book that guides the way.”  The novel follows Julius Mosley and Maya Gaines, a teacher and student of martial arts as they run into crime boss Vinh Nguyen. Written with a deftness and understanding of the city of New Orleans, and all the things that happen here that are stranger than fiction, Zell (who also captured New Orleans beautifully in his prior novels, “Errata” and “Run, Baby Run” of the Bobby Delery series) writes a beautiful novel of the character circumventing the city and the consequences that come by day-to-day living in it. 174 pages, $15

Predators Welcome
Dylan Krieger

In Dylan Krieger’s “Predators Welcome,” she writes a poetry book from the perspective of one sibling trying to reach out and get confirmation of their memories, their realities, to another sibling. These poems call for someone to witness, and as a reader, you can’t help but take in and witness it all. The book cover calls to the theme of “raised by wolves” that is touched upon regularly within the poems. Krieger explores the connections between the pain we feel and how we are drawn to predators (and our predatory instincts.) 138 pages, $19.99