A review by iammandyellen
Against Which by Ross Gay

3.0

What I love to see is that the joy and exuberance that Gay exudes in his most recent work has been there from the beginning. The way he troubles the relationship between pain and violence and joy feels profound and complex. I also love to witness the tenor of the relationship between Gay and the poet Gerald Stern, who wrote the introduction to this volume and seems to be a kind of mentor to Gay. The tenderness and dialogue between these two men that is opened to the reader (there is also a poem written to/for Stern in this collection) is a privilege to experience.