Philly Poetry Chapbook Review is pleased to feature Elaine Equi’s poem “Slow Chalk” as our second monthly featured poem from a full-length book for Issue 7: Winter 2025. You can find more poetry in their recent book, Out of the Blank now available from Coffee house Press.
Slow Chalk
I believe in the angel of
if not progress,
then process.
I pray to the air
that carries words away
to an outer being
made of possibility.
I believe in the resemblance
of unrelated things
uniting them as family
beyond blood.
In the university
of the universe
all books are holy
as light and night
and the livestock of languages
penned within.
(This poem was first published in Conjunctions. It is reprinted here with the author’s permission.)
About the Poem
There are several poems about spirituality in my new collection, some more obvious than others. “Slow Chalk” takes a big picture, almost cosmic, point of view – like watching something evolve over a long period of time. But it’s also about someone trying to discover, in the moment, what they actually do believe in. As I say, it’s a prayer “to the air.”
Author Bio
Elaine Equi was born in Oak Park, Illinois, in 1953. She is the author of many books of poetry, including Voice-Over which was chosen by Thom Gunn for the 1999 San Francisco State Poetry Award; Ripple Effect: New & Selected Poems, which was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Award and on the short list for the Griffin Poetry Prize; and The Intangibles.
Widely published and anthologized, her work is included in The Norton Anthology of Postmodern American Poetry, and six editions of The Best American Poetry. In 2023, she was the guest editor of the annual anthology Best American Poetry. Over the years, her witty, aphoristic, and innovative work has become nationally and internationally known. Her poems have been translated into Italian, French, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Croatian, and Arabic. She lives in New York City with her husband, the poet Jerome Sala.
From Out of the Blank
We waited for Word to arrive
like a messiah in a stagecoach
or a sheriff riding a thundercloud.
From acclaimed poet Elaine Equi comes her latest provocatively playful collection. “Thoughtful, witty, curious” (The New York Times), Equi’s subversive voice delicately refracts human experiences from the colors of weather to the strange ways we make sense of our bodies, from the emptiness of family homes to the flow of time itself.
Contents
Book Excerpt: Further Thought by Rae Armantrout
Read the featured Excerpt Poem of the Month for January 2025, “Further Thought” from Go Figure by Rae Armantrout, along with a few words from the poet.
Read five poems by poet A.L. Nielsen, our first biweekly poet of the Winter 2025 issue, along with a few words about the poem “When We Walked”.
Chapbook Poem: The Poem as an Act of Betrayal by Benjamin S. Grossberg
Read the featured Chapbook Poem of the Month for January 2025, “The Poem as an Act of Betrayal” from As Are Right Fit by Benjamin S. Grossberg, along with a few words from the poet.
Jan. ‘25: Year One: What worked, what didn’t, and what to expect
Editor Aiden Hunt looks back at our first year and discusses changes to Philly Poetry Chapbook Review in 2025.
Three Poems by Shelli Rottschafer
Read three poems by poet Shelli Rottschafer, our second biweekly poet of the Winter 2025 issue, along with a few words about the poem “Because We Remember.”
Dancing With the Dead: On Ragnarök at the Father-Daughter Dance by Todd Dillard
“Todd Dillard successfully transgresses the unspoken cultural embargo on work that grapples with life during the COVID-19 pandemic in his new chapbook, Ragnarök at the Father-Daughter Dance.”
Read three poems by poet Wendell Hawken, our third biweekly poet of the Winter 2025 issue, along with a few words about the poem “First Hurt”.
Book Excerpt: Slow Chalk by Elaine Equi
Read the featured Excerpt Poem of the Month for February 2025, “Slow Chalk” from Out of the Blank by Elaine Equi, along with a few words from the poet.
Chapbook Poem: Caro M. by Angela Siew
Read the featured Chapbook Poem of the Month for February 2025, “Caro M.” from Coming Home by Angela Siew, along with a few words from the poet.
Read four poems by poet Natalie Marino, our fourth biweekly poet of the Winter 2025 issue.
A Conversation with Kate Colby
Poet Kate Colby discusses her latest chapbook, ThingKing, her creative writing practices, and her penchant for poetry chapbooks with PCR Editor Aiden Hunt in this interview piece.