Kortney Morrow' s luminous debut collection, Run It Back, creates an iridescent dreamscape where early 2000s nostalgia is intricately woven into rigorous questioning around belonging, borders, fugitivity, and freedom. From a heroic crown sonnet stitching the colorways of an iconic basketball shoe with the economic development of a region to reimagining American Girl Dolls at a mandatory diversity training, Morrow' s playfulness and humor uncover more than meets the eye. Using the principles of material culture studies and an evocative display of poetic forms, Morrow flips everyday pop culture on its head, revealing the hidden seams running through our lives. These dazzling poems quietly refute the myth of linear progress. In the search for freedom, Morrow explores how the desire to move forward can be a rallying cry to run it back. Saturnalia Books Poetry Prize judge, Carmen Gimé nez, calls Morrow " a cultural archaeologist," solidifying a stunning new voice in American arts and letters.
