Praise for Blood·Letting

"Do not say something happened; do not say nothing / happened,” starts a poem in Blood·Letting, a collection of poems responding to widespread acts of violence against Indonesia over decades. The writer of these poems is relentless in the best possible way, never letting us take a moment of breath as acts are recalled again and again—and why would we want to? From poem to poem, death unravels in ways that chill the body motionless, reminding us of the horrors Indonesia has faced. But, as positively loud these poems are, what creeps under is pain. We’re being asked to reckon with harm. We’re being asked to stick with it. We’re being told, “Look at how my people have suffered.” Yes, it is suffering that bears its teeth in this collection. And anger. And fright. And the desire to see loved ones live.

—Luther Hughes, author of A Shiver in the Leaves and 2022 Quarterly West Chapbook Contest Judge