moon moon

Overview

In the style of Gilgamesh, The Odyssey, and poetic epics that have come before it, moon moon by July Westhale applies a formal approach to what is truly unfathomable to consider: speculation of the world’s end, and the spectrum of possible conquests to follow.

A moon’s moon is a questionably authentic astronomical term for a moon that orbits another moon. Whether rooted in logic, or merely a cosmically precise description of “space trash,” moon moon is a collection that observes worlds: above, below, and inside of. These poems are rife with chaotic eco-grief and undercut with dark humor and strangeness: Whitney Houston as two oracles to the moon of the moon, humans as gods as humans again. Westhale takes us from the world to the moon, to the moon of the moon, and back again—sometimes scientifically, often experientially, and always obsessively. This is a collection for anyone who holds curiosity, exploration, and the existentialism of climate change simultaneously. It is for the truest astronauts among us.

Reviews

"July Westhale’s work has an investigative and improvisational quality that makes moon moon an endless surprise. Reading this book is like opening a homunculus that never ends. These poems are funny and strange and compellingly probe at a question Westhale asks: 'Does it matter to us more to be understood, or to inhabit?' To explore the tension between comprehension and ownership, connection and possession, especially as it relates to our mistreatment of the natural world, she shifts the frame of our experience to other spaces and realms, so that we might see ourselves anew." —Bob Hicok, author of Hold and Water Look Away

"Reading July Westhale's moon moon is like looking through a telescope-turned-kaleidoscope. Through this device, Westhale probes what makes a world--showing us that knowing its beauty requires constant shifts, juxtapositions, fragmentations, and repetitions. Westhale shows us a world that is elusive, simultaneous, and ever-changing; but always worthy of our love and care. She writes this book for all of those who have a stake in our world: from the gods above residing on the moon's moon, all the way to a baby living on earth. Inside the baby, there dwells the earth, its moon, and its moon's moon." --Fulla Abdul-Jabbar, author of Who Loves the Sun

Author Biography

July Westhale is the award-winning author of Trailer Trash, Unmade Hearts, Occasionally Accurate Science, Quantifiable Data, bright news of gladiolas, The Cavalcade, Unmade Hearts, and Via Negativa, which Publisher’s Weekly called “stunning” in a starred review. July’s most recent work can be found in McSweeney’s, DIAGRAM, The National Poetry Review, Prairie Schooner, CALYX, Hayden’s Ferry Review, and The Huffington Post, among others.