At last, we listen closely: cryptic crossword poems

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At last, we listen closely: cryptic crossword poems brings together two favourite pastimes: reading poetry and doing crossword puzzles. In this collection, Holly Painter invents an original form: interconnected poems based on cryptic crosswords. Each one – a paired “clues” poem and “answers” haiku – can be enjoyed as poetry, with subject matter ranging from moon-washed forests to pub brawls, rebellious churchwomen to Vermont dairy cows, or the reader can join the poet in her work, using the poem to solve the haiku. It’s a unique and boundary-blurring reading experience for poetry lovers and puzzle solvers alike.

Holly Painter is the author of Excerpts from a Natural History (Titus, 2015), My Pet Sounds Off: Translating the Beach Boys (Finishing Line, 2020), and The pressure of all that light (Rebel Satori, 2022). Her poetry and fiction have been published in literary journals in North America, Europe, Asia, and Oceania. Holly lives with her wife and two children in Vermont, where she teaches writing and literature at the University of Vermont. Read more at hollypainter.com.