Astral Weeks, Etc.
FINISHING LINE PRESS ANNOUNCES THE PUBLICATION OF ASTRAL WEEKS, ETC.—A COLLECTION OF POEMS BY BROOKES MOODY
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Astral Weeks, Etc., the debut collection of poetry by Brookes Moody will be released by Finishing Line Press on March 14, 2025. With music—from Van Morrison, his peers, influences, and artistic descendants—as the catalyst and the frame, this collection of intertextual poetry explores female friendships, familial bonds, the relationship that we have with art, and the relationship we have with one another and ourselves through art.
As the cover suggests, this collection travels—covering the vast distance between Southern California’s Mulholland Drive to Tyrella Beach in Northern Ireland to the winding roads of the Hudson Valley as Moody injects a strong sense of place into her poems. The geographic sprawl pairs well with the expanse of time and characters included in the book. As Su Cho, the author of The Symmetry of Fish, writes, “Astral Weeks, Etc. is a fearless catalogue of life’s moments, documenting everything from chronic illness to finding home in coves and oceans.” The poems in Astral Weeks, Etc. are at once deeply personal and thoroughly researched. Employing multiple layers of allusion and ekphrasis, some of these poems operate like music reviews while others engage in counter narratives of classic rock history. In revisiting rock and roll myths, Moody finds as much tenderness and humanity in the lyrics and celebrity as she does when crafting odes to her loved ones. “We are lucky to be shown the overflowing connections between music, memory, and language with such patience and kindness,” Cho writes. “This book will make you want to nod and hum along. Will make you want to say yes, I was there and I can hear everything.” |