Cover art by Suzanne Moore, 2022, detail of “Mercury” from The Planets [Artist’s book, single edition, in a private collection]. Used by permission of the artist.
Answering Chaos: A Handbook
Poems by Linera Lucas
Kelsay Books 2024
$23.00 at Amazon
Answering Chaos: A Handbook is a manual for survival through poetry, a record of how to withstand the necessary and unnecessary traumas of a long life. Although the title is wry, it is also serious. I hope that by being forthright about my many mistakes, the reader will know they are not alone. I hope these poems will find the reader who has been waiting for them.
— Linera Lucas
Linera Lucas’ debut poetry collection skillfully delves into the complexities of life and self-discovery. Through a beautiful blend of observation, evocative imagery, and insightfulness, she captures the essence of a life’s journey. Her signature wit and wise voice add poignancy and resonance to each poem. Answering Chaos: A Handbook is a stunning book which explores the generational, historical, and personal, while embracing a deep search for meaning. This is recommended reading for anyone who wants to feel less alone. The poems bravely answer the call of chaos, in lines that smartly ask us: “What are you waiting for? This beauty? Catch it.”
– Kelli Russell Agodon, author of Dialogues with Rising Tides (Copper Canyon Press, 2021)
Answering Chaos: A Handbook is a don’t-mince-words exploration about finding oneself in old age. Through understanding trauma, Lucas has managed to examine, dislodge, and escape her past. The section titles track her journey: How to Survive Childhood, How to Resist, How to Listen. This is a book of poems that crosses a stormy sea and comes to a safe harbor. Sharp. Clear. Clean. Accessible to poets and non-poets alike. Readers will come away understanding that “A dragon wrote this poem. I held the pen.”
– Susan Landgraf, recipient of an Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellowship (2020)
With cinematic flair and the clear eye of the documentarian, Linera Lucas offers readers a lyrical homage to the life of a woman who “must be strong enough to open pickle jars.” Throughout this carefully chronicled collection, I’m guided by an authentic voice, never afraid to laugh at itself or to offer up the truth of a life fully lived. “I am the widow of no husband” is the crucial thread weaving its way throughout this book. Lucas has created both a celebration and an examination of what it means to be a single woman by choice. I found Answering Chaos: A Handbook extremely moving.
– Susan Rich, author of Blue Atlas (Red Hen Press, 2024)