Queen Kong opens with an autobiographical poem chronicling childhood through graduation from college. This not only informs the reader but also infuses subtle meaning throughout the remainder of the book's poems, which are all lyric in nature. It is this subtlety that poignantly pervades the crown section of the book: a collection of hard-hitting feminist poems that Bradley wrote in dialogue with famous feminists across history. Queen Kong takes the reader by storm, just like her male counterpart took New York, except Queen Kong is a powerful journey for women (and men) everywhere. |
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Amanda J. Bradley's latest book, Queen Kong, is a courageous and audacious book. Starting with the long poetic sequence rooted in narrative, it is specific, heartfelt, energetic, honest, and we are drawn into the world of this poet. Throughout the rest of the book, the poet confronts all that is broken and lost in the world. She grieves over the damage we have caused to the environment, and gives us feminist manifestoes. This is a tour de force performance that leaps from lyrical narrative to the surreal and back. It's unforgettable.
—Maria Mazziotti Gillan
Queen Kong is a mesmerizing book of poems. The first two sections contain candid and emotionally powerful pieces which act as a perfect preface for the rest of the book. Bradley's willingness to be vulnerable on the page, especially in her original, feminist poems is daring. In Queen Kong, she proves what an exquisite poet she is. This book has the power not only to impact the New York City on its cover but also the rest of our country and beyond.
—Laura Boss
Amanda J. Bradley's new collection is at once memoir-in-verse and cultural critique. It blends the personal and the political—as well as several other conceptual categories—with poise, honesty, and aplomb. We get family stories, feminist criticism, and aesthetic sophistication in a perfect alloy. The only problem with this collection is that the reader never knows when to stop clapping.
—Okla Elliott
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