Sprawl: Poems

In his book "Sprawl," Andrew Collard explores the ever-changing landscape of Detroit, reflecting on the connections between places and experiences and the challenges of raising a child in a city facing societal crises. The book combines memoir, invention, and poetry to construct a sense of place in the sprawling metropolis, highlighting the in-between places of personal significance and the influence of pop culture and history on the landscape.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 90 pages
Publication date: 03 April 2023
Publisher: Ohio University Press

Sprawl is a poetic exploration of the evolving landscape of metropolitan Detroit, spanning six counties and home to over four million people. From the perspective of a single parent raising a young child amidst financial precarity, Andrew Collard offers a reconstruction of this ever-changing metropolis. Part memoir, part invention, the book weaves together the tenderness and sense of purpose found in the parent-child relationship with the ongoing societal crises inherent in the automobile empire. In this sprawling landscape, where once-familiar neighborhoods transform into strip malls or empty lots, Collard questions how one can establish a sense of place amidst such rapid change. He suggests that recognizing the universal experience of navigating these transformations can provide solace.

Within the broader expanse of the metropolis, there exist in-between places of personal significance—gas stations, burger joints, malls, and parking lots—where countless defining moments of ordinary lives unfold. These poems draw deep inspiration from these spaces, valuing the people and their experiences that populate them. The formal cues of the poems, influenced by pop music, midcentury modern aesthetics, comic books, and cars, mirror the interconnectedness of high and low culture in the Michigan landscape. While the title "sprawl" refers to the seemingly endless succession of businesses and neighborhoods extending north from Detroit, it also evokes the sprawl of human existence, reflecting the complexities and contradictions of our lives.

Through his poetic lens, Collard invites us to explore the evolving landscape of Detroit and the broader human experience, reminding us of the connections and disconnections that shape our lives. Sprawl offers a poignant reflection on the complexities of place, identity, and the search for meaning in a world that is constantly in motion.

Dimension: 216 x 140 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780821425282