Vellum

Vellum the exquisite debut collection from Matt Donovan meditates on beauty art and the violence that is sometimes inherent in both. Here he juxtaposes religious iconography with stories from history biography and personal narrative. In the poignant Saint Catherine in an O a knife bears unlikely duality--an object stirring with danger and grace. A man plays slide guitar / with his pocketknife accompanying the words of his songs--/ one about light the Lord moving on water . . . / how blood he knows will make him whole. In other poems he reflects upon master artists who captured similar themes in their art though in different mediums. Brimming with poems that are quietly powerful Vellum marks the arrival of a commanding new voice.