Moving Stagnancy

The oxymoronic title of Jessica Nicole Brown's first poetry collection, Moving Stagnancy, refers to the stillness that moves one to create, and that one, in turn, reciprocates by moving the stillness into something new.

The book gives glimpses into the mind of a coming-of-age young adult woman finding herself amongst the influences of others. But is the destiny of the found self doomed? Trying to escape the trappings others fell into, does she trap herself? Is there freedom in isolation? Is there death, or is there peace in submission?

These themes are not presented as frigidly definitive but rather as open-ended questions for the reader to come to their own conclusion over the course of the book. With the writing style ranging from the surreal and experimental to the plain-spoken, with islands of straightforward pieces acting as the bridges between the more fluid pieces, there's something for all lovers of the genre.