Nowhere is now here.
“In their brevity, in their perfection, these poems feel like our moments as they pass. But unlike life, these poems afford us the opportunity to take that passing slowly, to turn our heads, to observe and feel what otherwise might slip too quickly away. Never do they raise a voice, but Margaret Draft is exquisitely in charge. A magnificent book.” - James Longenbach
“How do we locate ourselves in our longings for love and desire? In our lovers’ eyes? And what do we hope to find in these imperfect and sometimes broken spaces? What happens when we own our decisions? No neat answers in these lines. In these pages, Margaret Draft discards the blindfolds of self-righteousness, of ‘good’ and ‘bad.’ Discomfort is as common as a dead mouse or a dog running laps. What an unexpected and timely trek in the field of fallen horses Nowhere Was a Lake delivers.” - Yona Harvey
Vermont Book Awards Finalist
The Vermont Book Awards, created in 2015, are annual prizes for outstanding literature by Vermont authors. They are awarded through a partnership between Vermont Humanities and the Vermont Department of Libraries.
From New York Public Library
“In a voice deceptively pragmatic, Draft writes poetry set within pastures, dive bars, abandoned bars, bedrooms, and the headlines of missing persons. These pared, often devastating works contemplate emotional coexistence in a quiet, observant way.”
journals & features
“Colic”
Radar Poetry, Issue 30
“Numerical Cows”
Southern Humanities Review, Vol 51.4
“To the Stars on the Wings of a Pig”
Southern Humanities Review, Vol 51.4
“To the Stars on the Wings of a Pig”
Poetry Daily, Poem of the Day | September 3, 2019