{"product_id":"opium-and-ambergris-paperback","title":"Opium and Ambergris - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eColin Dekeersgieter\u003c\/b\u003e (Author), \u003cb\u003eMarilyn Chin\u003c\/b\u003e (Foreword by)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eBack Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWinner of the 2023 Stan and Tom Wick Poetry Prize\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eOpium and Ambergris\u003c\/em\u003e is the haunting debut collection by poet Colin Dekeersgieter, whose lyric poems scrutinize a family's history with addiction, death, and mental illness.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eReeling from the loss of his brother to a heroin overdose, Dekeersgieter grieves while doing his best to keep his suicidal mother alive and raise his family. As a result, these poems shift between historical retellings and urgent examinations of love. In the title poem, \"opium\" is associated with death and \"ambergris\"--a substance formed in sperm whales' digestive tracts and valued by many cultures for over one thousand years--is associated with love. As family history, death, trauma, and duty become entwined with the acts of living, suffering, growing, and writing, these metaphorical categories become essentially interchangeable. Opium comes from the beautiful poppy; ambergris is an ingredient still used in high-end perfumes to help the fragrance last longer, yet it is extracted from dead whales. Thus, \"opium\" and \"ambergris\" come to represent the possible coexistence of love and loss.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWith many poems written in emergency departments, behavioral wards, and intensive care units, Dekeersgieter does not just honestly chronicle a family crisis but seeks to survive through poetry.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eColin Dekeersgieter\u003c\/strong\u003e is a poet, editor, and teacher. His work has appeared in \u003cem\u003eBrink\u003c\/em\u003e, the \u003cem\u003eGreensboro Review\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eNorth American Review\u003c\/em\u003e, and elsewhere. He received an MFA from New York University and is a PhD candidate at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 72\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.27 x 8.47 x 5.74 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e September 17, 2024\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51752426307872,"sku":"9781606354834","price":19.44,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/9764\/5344\/files\/df08d93fd38f6bba731e98ef8360c32c.webp?v=1779995527","url":"https:\/\/ebocreations.com\/products\/opium-and-ambergris-paperback","provider":"The E-Book Oasis LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}