ACREAGE - poems by Stephanie Garon

Acreage, poems by Stephanie Garon Akinoga Press, 2022 46 pages, 30 Poems Stephanie Garon is an environmental artist. Her sculptures and installation pieces, by juxtaposing natural objects against industrial materials, explore the vulnerability of nature when it comes into contact with humanity, their forms and fragilities, their permanence and impermanence. ACREAGE functions as a companion to Stephanie’s art, translating the visuals and experience of her work into language. In fact, as a part of her process, a number of poems in the collection were written during the creation of the pieces they share their names with. Many of the poems are also experimental, playing with the space and grammar to evoke and compliment what one would encounter at Stephanie’s installations. ACREAGE is vast, contemplative, and evocative, drawing out both the natural and sculptural world into the realm of language. But, even language has to bend, and in some cases break, to accommodate what has habitually existed beyond its grasp, and Stephanie wields and welds it back together like a pro. If you have ever wondered what it would look like if Andy Goldsworthy wrote poetry, ACREAGE is the answer.