Still Hungry

"Still Hungry," Alisa Gordaneer's new collection of poetry, is a sumptuous read. A gracious host, the poet serves her readers poems with delectable titles like "Artichoke," "Plum Jam," "Ganache," "Pollo Con Chili" and "Raspberry Pie," but this is no poetic cookbook. Divided into four sections according to the basic sensations of taste -- salty, sour, bitter and sweet -- these poems are elegant meditations on how food so often shapes the crucial moments in our lives -- moments of sexual intimacy, love, friendship, betrayal and rebirth. "Still Hungry" also addresses concerns about food production and distribution. In "Slaughterhouse" Gordaneer explores the treatment of the animals raised for meat. In "Market/Place (Detroit)," she writes about her journey to a desolate farmers' market in Detroit in the midst of a snowstorm.