Classic Crimes - Paperback

by Sarah J. Sloat (Author)

The sophomore visual poetry collection from Sarah J. Sloat, whose Hotel Almighty was a 2020 NYT Editors' Choice pick.

Classic Crimes is a book of visual poetry sourced from William Roughead's true-crime 20th century classic of the same name. Roughead's text is known for its ghastly recountings of murder and deceit, though such gloom is barely detectable under Sloat's sharp eye and transformative hand. In these erasure poems, each adorned with its own colorful, meandering collage, "public opinion [is] always willing to wink at the picturesque," and "to sleep...[is] an interlude of little dinners." Where mayhem once lived, Sloat invites readers into a brand new world, one blooming with whimsy, play, delight, and cheeky, liberating poetics.

Author Biography

Sarah J. Sloat's poems, prose and collage have appeared in Seneca Review, Diagram, Shenandoah, and many other publications. She is the author of the visual poetry collection Hotel Almighty (Sarabande 2020), as well as five poetry chapbooks, including Heiress to a Small Ruin and Excuse me while I wring this long swim out of my hair (Dancing Girl Press). Born in New Jersey, Sarah has lived for many years in Europe, where she works in news and splits her time between Frankfurt and Barcelona.