All Those Years Underwater

The title poem of Jessica Dubey's All Those Years Underwater declares, "I throw myself into the water,/chase the burn/of chlorine, the muffled Eden/at the bottom, so intolerably/beautiful." This collection dives deep into danger and desire, into the memories we carry forward in our brave and tender bodies. The poem titled "My daughter wants to derail trains" includes the lines "She wants to eat mischief/for breakfast." So do each of Dubey's engaging, surprising poems.

-Suzanne Cleary, author of Crude Angel



Danger is so delicate in these poems; it slides like a stiletto between the ribs. The poems stare you down with their lovely eyes, even as they insert the blade. The pain is real, the impact visceral. "Every word," as Dubey puts it, "honed/into weaponry forged/for each reckless cut." Prepare to have your breath taken away.

-Marilyn McCabe, author of Being Many Seeds, Glass Factory, and Perpetual Motion



Jessica Dubey's book of poems, All Those Years Underwater, cuts like an etching knife-precisely and beautifully, painfully and unforgettably. I read straight from beginning to end, then started right over at the beginning. It marks a remarkable second book for a poet who deserves our close attention.

-Liz Rosenberg, prize-winning poet and author of Scribbles, Sorrows, and Russet Leather Boots: The Life of Louisa May Alcott