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Bad Weather Mammals
Poems
by Ashley-Elizabeth Best
This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.
Pub Date
Sep 17 2024
| Archive Date
Sep 09 2024
Description
“The sick should be good. / It is a kind of undoing,” Ashley-Elizabeth Best writes in her second collection. Bad Weather Mammals navigates the devastations and joys of living in a disabled and traumatized body. By taking a backward glance, she traces how growing up under the maladaptive bureaucracy of social services with a single disabled mother and five younger siblings led her to a precarious future in which she is also disabled and living on social assistance. In poems that explore a variety of formal constraints, such as the suite “ODSP 1, 2, & 3,” which infuses government forms with lyric poetry, she suggests all the ways the medical and bureaucratic systems can dehumanize and traumatize our most vulnerable citizens. By digging deep into her own experiences, Best has archived the ways we fail each other in our most desperate times — while at the same time outlining how we can show up to revel in disabled joy and community. Bad Weather Mammals disassembles dominant narratives about how disabled individuals should be and reconceptualizes the embodied experiences that recenter us in our own narrative.
“The sick should be good. / It is a kind of undoing,” Ashley-Elizabeth Best writes in her second collection. Bad Weather Mammals navigates the devastations and joys of living in a disabled and...
Description
“The sick should be good. / It is a kind of undoing,” Ashley-Elizabeth Best writes in her second collection. Bad Weather Mammals navigates the devastations and joys of living in a disabled and traumatized body. By taking a backward glance, she traces how growing up under the maladaptive bureaucracy of social services with a single disabled mother and five younger siblings led her to a precarious future in which she is also disabled and living on social assistance. In poems that explore a variety of formal constraints, such as the suite “ODSP 1, 2, & 3,” which infuses government forms with lyric poetry, she suggests all the ways the medical and bureaucratic systems can dehumanize and traumatize our most vulnerable citizens. By digging deep into her own experiences, Best has archived the ways we fail each other in our most desperate times — while at the same time outlining how we can show up to revel in disabled joy and community. Bad Weather Mammals disassembles dominant narratives about how disabled individuals should be and reconceptualizes the embodied experiences that recenter us in our own narrative.
Available Editions
| EDITION |
Other Format |
| ISBN |
9781770417816 |
| PRICE |
$21.95 (USD)
|
| PAGES |
88
|
Available on NetGalley
NetGalley Shelf App (PDF)
Send to Kindle (PDF)
Download (PDF)
Additional Information
Available Editions
| EDITION |
Other Format |
| ISBN |
9781770417816 |
| PRICE |
$21.95 (USD)
|
| PAGES |
88
|
Available on NetGalley
NetGalley Shelf App (PDF)
Send to Kindle (PDF)
Download (PDF)
Average rating from 7 members
Featured Reviews
Librarian 1002018
Bad Weather Mammals is an incredible collection. Striking, moving, some pages found me holding my breath.
TASMIN B, Reviewer
Dark and Beautifully written poems. I love poetry that's like this when it feels raw and emotional.
"My teeth lean to the curve of words I’m too afraid to say,"
I was given a copy from Netgally for an honest review.
Emily O, Reviewer
𝑩𝒂𝒅 𝑾𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝑴𝒂𝒎𝒎𝒂𝒍𝒔 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐚 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐝 (𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞) 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞. 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫’𝐬 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐩𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧—𝐈 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐃𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭-𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐫𝐚𝐰.
𝒯𝒽𝒶𝓃𝓀 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓉𝑜 𝒜𝓈𝒽𝓁𝑒𝓎-𝐸𝓁𝒾𝓏𝒶𝒷𝑒𝓉𝒽 𝐵𝑒𝓈𝓉, 𝐸𝒞𝒲 𝒫𝓇𝑒𝓈𝓈, & 𝒩𝑒𝓉𝒢𝒶𝓁𝓁𝑒𝓎 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒜𝑅𝒞! 𝒜𝓁𝓁 𝑜𝓅𝒾𝓃𝒾𝑜𝓃𝓈 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓂𝓎 𝑜𝓌𝓃.
Kristiana R, Reviewer
Bad Weather Mammals by Ashley-Elizabeth Best is an atmospheric exploration of disability, abuse and death. Best's poetry is steeped in imagery and metaphor, while her use of form ranges from utilising the traditional, to clever manipulation of government forms to demonstrate how disability and trauma permeate the everyday.
While these topics have certainly been written about before and will no doubt be written about for years to come - Best's injection of personal experience ensures this collection is fresh. From start to finish, her poetic style and voice are strongly established and maintained; a strength defying the people and systems bent on stifling the speaker's voice.
And thus, while Best's narrative is not linear and nor does this collection tout to be a way of healing, there is hope in the sheer defiance and ferocity felt in these poems. Bad Weather Mammals conveys an admirable desire to live.
Featured Reviews
Librarian 1002018
Bad Weather Mammals is an incredible collection. Striking, moving, some pages found me holding my breath.
TASMIN B, Reviewer
Dark and Beautifully written poems. I love poetry that's like this when it feels raw and emotional.
"My teeth lean to the curve of words I’m too afraid to say,"
I was given a copy from Netgally for an honest review.
Emily O, Reviewer
𝑩𝒂𝒅 𝑾𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝑴𝒂𝒎𝒎𝒂𝒍𝒔 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐚 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐝 (𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞) 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞. 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫’𝐬 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐩𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧—𝐈 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐃𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭-𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐫𝐚𝐰.
𝒯𝒽𝒶𝓃𝓀 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓉𝑜 𝒜𝓈𝒽𝓁𝑒𝓎-𝐸𝓁𝒾𝓏𝒶𝒷𝑒𝓉𝒽 𝐵𝑒𝓈𝓉, 𝐸𝒞𝒲 𝒫𝓇𝑒𝓈𝓈, & 𝒩𝑒𝓉𝒢𝒶𝓁𝓁𝑒𝓎 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒜𝑅𝒞! 𝒜𝓁𝓁 𝑜𝓅𝒾𝓃𝒾𝑜𝓃𝓈 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓂𝓎 𝑜𝓌𝓃.
Kristiana R, Reviewer
Bad Weather Mammals by Ashley-Elizabeth Best is an atmospheric exploration of disability, abuse and death. Best's poetry is steeped in imagery and metaphor, while her use of form ranges from utilising the traditional, to clever manipulation of government forms to demonstrate how disability and trauma permeate the everyday.
While these topics have certainly been written about before and will no doubt be written about for years to come - Best's injection of personal experience ensures this collection is fresh. From start to finish, her poetic style and voice are strongly established and maintained; a strength defying the people and systems bent on stifling the speaker's voice.
And thus, while Best's narrative is not linear and nor does this collection tout to be a way of healing, there is hope in the sheer defiance and ferocity felt in these poems. Bad Weather Mammals conveys an admirable desire to live.
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