Cell Traffic:New and Selected Poems

Description

“Cell Traffic “presents new poems and uncollected prose poetry along with selected work from award-winning poet Heid Erdrich’s three previous poetry collections.
Erdrich’s new work reflects her continuing concerns with the tensions between science and tradition| between spirit and body.
She finds surprising common ground while exploring indigenous experience in multifaceted ways: personal| familial| biological| and cultural.
The title| “Cell Traffic|” suggests motion and Erdrich considers multiple movements-cellular transfer| the traffic of DNA through body parts and bones| “migration” through procreation| and the larger “movements” of indigenousness and ancestral inheritance.
Erdrich’s wry sensibility| sly wit| and keenly insightful mind have earned her a loyal following.
Her point of view is always slightly off center| and this lends a particular freshness to her poetry.
The debunking and debating of the science of origins is one of Erdrich’s focal subjects.
In this collection| she turns her observational eye to the search for a genetic mother of humanity| forensic anthropology’s quest for the oldest known bones| and online offers of genetic testing.
But her interests are not limited to science.
She freely admits popular culture into her purview as well| referencing sci-fi television series and Internet pop-up ads.