Under the Sky They Lit Cities by Travis Cebula

A combination of Cebula’s highly tuned lyrical ear, and his observational wit, the poems in Under the Sky They Lit Cities resonate on both emotional and intellectual levels. The book unfolds as an homage to Denver, Colorado, built at the foot of the serene Rocky Mountains. Operating between the quiet of the wilderness and the chaos of the city, Cebula, with Baudelairean tone, tracks the altered light, wildlife and sounds of constant development, to which he notes, “it kills the heart,/ and then/ only slowly.” The sentiment in this book exudes modern relevance and Cebula’s sharp poetic craftsmanship is the perfect vehicle from which to understand the repercussions of an economic market looking to, “huckster the slenderest to the thirstiest.” Edgy and aware, Under the Sky serves as an anthem for anyone who has encountered the fear and inspiration of change.

—Sarah Suzor, author of The Principle Agent

In careful, crafty knots of language, Travis Cebula walks us through the veined structure of a city where, as in a poem, life splinters into its constituent parts: a car lot lit like Casablanca, a river of black leather and wool, nodding Santa Claus displays, snow falling in clumps. Cebula ties together the “tensile thunder” of this city without a sinecure, and though this may be “how the thinker litters,” there’s no need to “clamor for grist.” Under the Sky They Lit Cities has plenty.

—Erik Anderson, author of The Poetics of Trespass

In Under the Sky They Lit Cities, Travis Cebula enters the poetic act at the "moment/where immigrant and emigrant penetrate and linger."  Cebula's ambitious urban portrait constitutes an act of engaged witness simultaneously personal and historical.  He apprehends his "kaleidoscope polis" with an insightful, witty gameness that counters the jaded sensibility of "the kitschiest heuristics, the strictest nihilists."  Herein lies the poet's confidence in forgotten "tones revealed in full light."  Cebula's poetry, like the city itself is resilient, iridescent, and every time a little different.

—Elizabeth Robinson, author of Apostrophe, Harrow, The Orphan and Its Relations, Inaudible Trumpeters, and many more

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Travis Cebula lives, writes, edits, and teaches in Golden, Colorado with his beautiful wife, Shannon. His poetry, photography, essays, and short stories have appeared internationally in both print and online journals. He is the author of four chapbooks. Under the Sky They Lit Cities is his first fulllength collection of poetry.

Book Information:

· Paperback: 100 pages
· Binding: Perfect-Bound
· Publisher: BlazeVOX [books]
· ISBN: 978-1-60964-025-5