PORTAL

Tracy Fuad's poetry collection PORTAL explores inheritance, reproduction, parenthood, postcoloniality, and climate anxiety through the lenses of etymology, postcoloniality, and technology. The poems document a life mediated by technology, where language and intelligence are no longer produced solely by humans, and are stalked by eco-grief and loneliness. Fuad embraces playfulness through her formal range, engaging styles from the tersely lineated to the essayistic, intertwining topics of replication, reproduction, technology, language, history, and biology.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 112 pages
Publication date: 01 March 2024
Publisher: The University of Chicago Press

Tracy Fuad's second collection of poems, PORTAL, delves into the intricate and challenging realm of parenthood, etymology, postcoloniality, and climate anxiety. The collection explores the complex interplay between inheritance, reproduction, and the ever-changing world around us.

In the opening poem, "A Baby is Born in a Brutalist Building," Fuad sets the stage for the rest of the collection. The poem depicts a baby being born in a stark, industrial environment, surrounded by the harshness of concrete and steel. The planet, too, seems to shrink under the new logic of contagion, as the world is gripped by fear and uncertainty. Yet, even in this bleak setting, there are glimpses of beauty and resilience. Roses washed up from a shipwreck centuries ago bloom up and down the cape, a reminder of the enduring power of nature.

Through PORTAL, Fuad documents a life that is heavily mediated by technology, even in the most intimate moments. Language, once produced solely by humans, is now shaped by algorithms and artificial intelligence. The voices in the collection are haunted by eco-grief and loneliness, but they also brimming with song and ecstasy, reveling in the strange and unfamiliar aspects of contemporary life. Fuad's poetry explores the complexities of reproduction, technology, language, history, and biology, peeling back the surfaces of words to reveal their etymologies and embracing playfulness through her formal range.

The collection intertwines topics of replication, reproduction, technology, language, history, and biology, creating a rich tapestry of ideas and emotions. Fuad's poetry is frank, honest, and deeply personal, resonating with readers who are navigating the complexities of modern life. PORTAL vibrates with pleasure and dread, offering a glimpse into the complexities of inheritance, reproduction, and the human experience in a world that is constantly evolving.

Weight: 190g
Dimension: 165 x 241 x 13 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780226831534