Mezzanine

In her striking collection of poems, Zoë Hitzig investigates how we seek certitude, power, and domination over the natural world and one another. Hitzig brings a scientific rigor to her searing lyricism, as well as a raucous energy and willingness to allow her work to dwell in states of uncertainty and precariousness. The result is an original voice that is incisive and unsparing, but also passionate and tender. Her poems probe the authority of language and logic, questioning the sovereignty of the technological, economic, legal, and political systems that mediate our lives. Urgent in its creation of a new way of looking at our social and natural worlds, Mezzanine is an insightful and visceral debut collection from a poet whose work is poised to leave a lasting mark. How does a poet with the mind of an economist confront the systems that define us? Intellectual Poetry: Where econometric methods, stealth bomber blueprints, and Nazi-era anatomical drawings become subjects for unsparing lyrical investigation. Poems About Economics: Explore triple-witching days on Wall Street and the currency of stone islands, filtered through the lens of a Harvard economics PhD. Social Justice Poetry: Bearing witness to the stories of the wrongfully convicted and the failures of the systems designed to protect them. Lyrical and Experimental Forms: A collection that challenges the boundaries of poetry, blending raw data and historical fact with passionate, visceral language.