What have I learned from Stacey Allam? Most importantly, perhaps, she has strongly confirmed my belief that poetry, in order to mean or be anything of value, has to arise from all the layers and currents of one’s own mind and body. It has to be unconstrained or unfiltered by any of the conventional ideas about what poetry should be and sound like.

The function of poetry is not to confirm any of the fashionable clichés about what meanings/ideas/ methods are appropriate. Consider her poem “stackable cones”: she ate a turkey / went straight to her room / and stuck her hand / through the multiverse / carefully coring the crumbs / of all those / rock hard / krispy cremes This is a poem – and a poetry – uniquely embedded in, and expressive of, a particular consciousness and experience so that we, as social beings, can know and better understand that person.

Allam’s poetry consistently does just that, and does it with such strength and assurance, with such sharp perception, humor, and empathy, that it is truly one of the great treasures of our times. Luna Bisonte Prods is proud to publish "All Those Connected Pathways".

. .