The Upstate

Lindsay Turner's The Upstate is a book of poetry that sings of the beauty and crisis of southern Appalachian culture, layering a personal lyric voice with broader awareness of labor issues and political and ecological crises. The poems observe and emote, mourning acts of devastation and raging against their continuation while mobilizing a critical intelligence against the status quo. They weave spells around beloved places and people, yearning to shield them from destruction and profess faith in the delicate beauties of the world.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 72 pages
Publication date: 06 October 2023
Publisher: The University of Chicago Press

In Lindsay Turner's The Upstate, we are transported to a captivating landscape of red sunsets, swirling wildfire smoke, and the presence of Queen Annes lace along the roadside. This book delves into the contemporary realities of southern Appalachia, where change and development loom large. Through a fusion of personal lyricism and a broader awareness of labor issues, political and ecological crises, Turner redefines the regional poetics of this area, making it receptive to national and global systems.

The poems in The Upstate emerge from moments of darkness and desperation, harnessing a critical intelligence to challenge the status quo of place and history. At the same time, they fiercely uphold the belief in poetry's ability to impact these conditions. Turner's poems create a spellbinding atmosphere around beloved places and people, yearning to protect them from destruction and to profess faith in the delicate beauties of the world that surrounds us.

The Upstate is a testament to the power of poetry to capture the essence of a region and its people, while also addressing the urgent challenges of our time. It invites us to explore the complexities of place, history, and the human experience, and to find hope and resilience in the face of adversity.

Weight: 136g
Dimension: 167 x 241 x 6 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780226828640