Shattered Sonnets, Love Cards, and Other Off and Back Handed Importunities - Paperback

Shattered Sonnets, Love Cards, and Other Off and Back Handed Importunities

Now in paperback, "Shattered Sonnets breathes life into American verse . . . [an] urgent and unrepentant collection" (Poetry).

This compelling poetry collection by Olena Kalytiak Davis challenges traditional forms while exploring themes of love, desire, and the complexities of human connection. The collection showcases Davis's distinctive voice—one that is both raw and refined, irreverent yet deeply literary.

About This Poetry Collection

Davis reimagines the sonnet form with a contemporary urgency that has earned critical acclaim. Her poems move between traditional structure and deliberate fragmentation, creating a tension that mirrors the emotional landscapes she explores. The collection includes love cards and what the title aptly describes as "off and back handed importunities"—poems that petition, plead, and push back against convention.

This paperback edition makes Davis's vital work accessible to a broader audience of poetry readers. The collection demonstrates why she has become an essential voice in contemporary American poetry, offering verse that is unapologetically honest about passion, loss, and the messiness of intimate relationships.

About Olena Kalytiak Davis

Olena Kalyiak Davis is a first-generation Ukrainian-American who was born and raised in Detroit. Educated at Wayne State University, the University of Michigan Law School, and Vermont College, she is the author of three books of poetry, including And Her Soul Out of Nothing (University of Wisconsin Press 1997), which received the Brittingham Prize for Poetry. Davis's honors include a Pushcart Prize and the Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers' Award. She currently works as a lawyer in Anchorage, Alaska.

Why Readers Choose This Collection

Perfect for readers who appreciate poetry that takes risks with form and language. This collection appeals to those seeking contemporary verse that engages with literary tradition while breaking new ground. The poems work as standalone pieces and as part of a larger conversation about love, identity, and the possibilities of poetic expression.

Published by Copper Canyon Press, this collection represents the kind of ambitious, formally inventive work that defines contemporary American poetry. Whether you're a longtime poetry reader or discovering Davis for the first time, Shattered Sonnets offers an unforgettable reading experience.