Review: “The Kissing of Kissing” by Hannah Emerson
Publication Date: March 8, 2022
Milkweed Editions, 112 pgs, $16
There’s a wonderful rhythm to Hannah Emerson’s writing, with her repetition of words serving as a drumbeat leading the reader through her poetry. While phrases like “yes yes yes,” “looking looking,” and “great great great” could be overwhelming or tedious in the hands of another writer, Emerson’s poems have a sort of sparseness to them where every word (and every repetition) feels necessary and deliberate.
Repetition also plays out through the book as a whole, with words like yes, please, love, great, helpful, and kissing being used so much throughout the book that they quickly become familiar friends. As the book unfolds, it’s nice to be anchored by these repeated words as Emerson plays with form and structure–each time I thought I had seen each different thing she was going to do, she mixed things up again and surprised me, all while maintaining her signature writing style. When poems later in the book do feel like they are treading similar ground to those earlier on, it’s accompanied by a feeling that this time, you’re being led into a deeper–or at least different–way of understanding it.
Not only is The Kissing of Kissing an excellent book of poetry, it’s also an excellent book of neurodivergent poetry and the first book in Milkweed Press’ “Multiverse” series featuring the work of disabled, neurodivergent, and mad writers.
I cover disability arts not only because I wish to highlight disabled artists (and folks with other adjacent identities) but also because I hope for a literary and arts world that is better at portraying disability and understanding it as normal and good. When it comes to reviewing disability books, I think it’s important not to try to separate an author’s disability from their art–whether by ignoring disability, or by focusing on it instead of the art. Being nonspeaking and autistic is integral to the book, and Emerson’s work feels deeply, wonderfully neurodivergent even when she isn’t explicitly writing about neurodivergence.
This book feels personal and inviting at the same time–it’s very much Emerson’s story and perspective on display, and yet her work regards the reader not as a distant observer but as a partner in experiencing this big weird world we find ourselves in. The Kissing of Kissing makes the complicated feel comfortable and vice-versa, and that makes it a book worth settling down with and reading again and again.
Find more from Hannah at hannah-emerson.com and on instagram @hannah.emerson.poetry.
Pre-order The Kissing of Kissing from Milkweed Press or ask your local indie bookstore!
