Rob Carney

Facts and Figures Rob Carney

Poetry. There's a lunatic logic at work in these poems, from the opening section of thirteen facts to the final pages inspired by Christopher Smart, the 18th-century poet locked away in an asylum with his cat. Here, astrophysics becomes an empathy lesson, spelling lessons give way to magic, and the best healing witch in Louisiana shares the stage with orcas and a hermit crab. Add to that a math exam that doesn't add up, and if/then conditionals that add up strangely; plus, the worst fire in Spokane, Washington, and the origin story of owls. Facts and Figures is saner than a calendar. Calendars have twelve months, but the year--like this book--has thirteen moons.