Testament

Testament

(BOA Editions, 2015)

In this book-length poem, G.C. Waldrep addresses matters as diverse as Mormonism, cymatics, race, Dolly the cloned sheep, and his own life and faith. Drafted over twelve trance-like days while in residence at Hawthornden Castle, Waldrep responds to such poets as Alice Notley, Lisa Robertson, and Carla Harryman, and tackles the question of whether gender can be a lyric form. Intimately autobiographical, Waldrep’s fifth book masterly takes its own place in the American tradition of the long poem.

Praise & Reviews

“Waldrep is the closest American poetry comes to Geoffrey Hill, in the music of his language, the range of his erudition, the integrity of his intellect, and the honesty of his doubt.”
Ploughshares

“…a truly major poetic achievement.”
Poetry Northwest

“Erudite and glittering….In dialogue with the historic tradition of the American long poem, Waldrep’s contribution to that tradition is elliptical, political, and memorable.”
Academy of American Poets