Pleasure Principle
Poems

‘Longing has its own economy,’ writes poet Madeleine Cravens, an economy seeking desire, of being “in the black” for pleasure. Such is the title of this debut collection, Pleasure Principle, though one can see a homophonic meaning too: a pleasure “principal” paid in this economy of longing. The sorr......more

very pretty and written in a style i have recently come to adore (imagistic, almost collage-like in its randomness/speed/small, withheld meanings), though very uniform across poems, in terms of visual layout and content. you could say this makes a cohesive collection, but for me, the intensity of th......more

This is a solid, if brief, collection of poems. These are poems of a young woman transitioning into adulthood, and finding her way in the world. They are beautiful. They are poignant. They are personal and universal. But mostly, they’re just plain good. Do yourself a favor and order this collection.......more

These poems feel transitory, like capturing a feeling before it dissipates into a memory. There’s a fixation on place, which seems to be tethered to the “nowness” present throughout these poems, and the speaker’s reticence to look back or forwards. Especially since these poems center pleasure, pain,......more