Why the Ships Are She

By Terri Ford and Cleo Qian

This new book of poems, a Stahlecker Series selection from Four Way Books, contains works that fiirst appeared in Agni; Crania; Conduit; Forklift, Ohio; Incliner; Kumquat Meringue; Licking River Review; Marlboro Review; The Plastic Tower; Southern Poetry Review; Warren Wilson Review; and in the anthology The Beach Book: A Literary Companion (Sarabande Books, 1999).

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1884800378
• ISBN13: 9781884800375
• Release Date: April 2002
• Publisher: Four Way Books
• Length: 80 Pages

Customer Reviews

Fabulous!

Terri Ford's _Why the Ships Are She_ is in a total delight--all glee, wit, charisma and surprise. She's one of those rare poets who understands that humor and seriousness can, and should--really, must!--co-exist. There's not a pretentious or a sentimental bone in her body, and that means she gets to real emotions in all their complexity over and over and over again. I love her jumpy, skippy, tricky syncopating rhythms. Terri Ford has a great ear, a great heart--and writes great poems. Buy this book right now! You'll recommend it to your friends. And you'll realize all over again that fun is a wonderful, serious, poetic business.

I Want to be Terri Ford

This book is heartbreaking and hilarious, much like life when you've got the right attitude. Ms. Ford certainly does. I reccommend this book to anyone in need of a kick in the pants. Ms. Ford treats words like tinker-toys and reminds us that poetry is indeed fun.

poetry novice

as exuberant as skipping in the springtime. Gritty, fun, real, very original. Ms. Ford is her own woman, and we are the richer for it!

savvy poems for the intelligent community

this is a gem. each one of the poems rings true. the careful reader is treated to a wild ride through the literary landscape of a master poet. i strongly reccommend this collection to anyone willing to check artistic prejudice at the front gate. thumbs up for ms. ford.

No ordinary poetry book

Wake up and smell the coffee, poetry readers. Here is Terrific Terri Ford. From its unforgettable cover to its stunning last poem, "I die", this book is original, surprising, hilarious and as one poem says "wild with misery and dangers"--and that's good news for contemporary poetry. These poems are commanding yet absolutely intimate, brave but vulnerable, alert to the soundings of words and the groundings of sense. How does she do it? Read it and weep, laugh, have the breath sucked out of you. You need it, oh you who know who you are!