In the Hollow of the Wave

by Nina Mingya Powles

Genres: Poetry
Pages: 96
Rating:

Synopsis:

In the Hollow of the Wave, the second collection by Nina Mingya Powles examines orientalism, art and artmaking in a time of ecological crisis. Engaging with the work of artists such as Theresa Hak Kyung Cha, Yayoi Kusama, Etel Adnan and the fashion designer Guo Pei, these poems rework the notion of ekphrasis into something elemental and tactile, shaped by memory and landscapes of the body.

Nina Mingya Powles’ In the Hollow of the Wave is a bit of a multimedia collection, mixing poems with images of various bits of craftwork and images with words pasted onto them (a bit reminiscent of times of A Softer World, if anyone but me remembers that!). There are some interesting poem formats too.

I found it readable and there were some that stuck with me — the one about her grandfather(?) making quilts for her and her cousins was lovely. I didn’t get along with all of it, as ever with poetry (picky, I am, I know), especially some of the more experimental ones… but I’m glad I gave it a shot, and I am still left with the image of the retired biologist, making his grandchildren quilts. It seems like a lovely warm memory.

I wouldn’t mind trying other poetry by Nina Mingya Powles, either way.

Rating: 3/5 (“liked it”)