Infidelities

"Somewhere in the family romance lies, each of us suspects, the secret or mystery of erotic power, the source of sexual energy to which, with slight but significant variations, we again and again return. Within the givens of familial, racial, gender, and class history lie the materials out of which we must make ourselves. Elise Paschen's Infidelities explores these themes in powerful, striking ways. Paschen is as haunted as everyone else; out of this she has made a haunting book."-Frank Bidart



"These poems are passionate, lyrical episodes of precise and dangerous beauty. I'm proud to welcome this very accomplished first book of poetry to the world."-Joy Harjo



"Elise Paschen's poems draw upon a dream life which can deeply tincture the waking world. Some of the most compelling-"Diving," for instance, or "Moving House"-have the qualities of dream. But there are many kinds of imaginative acts in this collection, as when the poet, in "Oklahoma Home," magically and movingly enters the consciousness of another person in another time and place."-Richard Wilbur