In grimmening, Blokh lays bare the anxieties of adolescence, revealing the struggle of navigating a new and unfamiliar world. Throughout poems that take the appearance of guides, the narrator searches for comfort in art, faith, and identity. Grimmening shows us that to growing up is to grapple with the universe; that to discover a new world means letting go of an old one.

Praise

The poems in Daniel Blokh’s chapbook, grimmening, have been following me everywhere. Like the moon, these poems “can find a river/in anyone.” I didn’t know how badly I needed these poems. I was immediately taken with how careful and tender Blokh is with his language. I could read these poems over and over and discover something new every time. I can’t wait to see what this poet will give us in the future, but for now, we are so so lucky to have grimmening.

— Hieu Minh Nguyen, author of Not Here

Daniel Blokh is a poet of surreality, mystery, and wonder. In deft poems that startle and engage, Blokh shows us a “world [that] learns to bend under a bloody horizon”, a world in which “the sky turns red / and prays for curtains.” These poems make me excited for both the future and the now of poetry—they demand to be read and reflected upon every bit as much as they deserve to be.

—Peter LaBerge, author of Makeshift Cathedral

In grimmening, Daniel Blokh writes blood, bone, family and identity with exact and exacting verse. These poems bite—they teach us “how the world / learns to bend under a bloody horizon,” the way to “[stitch] the sun into [your] chest.” In this stunning collection, Blokh’s poems are urgent and careful, tight in verse but expansive in thought. Blokh shows us that he knows his way around a poem, and that the world grows more beautiful and more complicated when seen through a poet’s glimmering eye.

—Ashley M. Jones, author of Reparations Now!

Features

"Rewrite," Verse Daily, 11 August 2018

"5 teens honored as National Student Poets," The Washington Post

Select Poems from Grimmening

"What Fire Trucks Stop For and What They Don’t" Yes Poetry"

To Salt," Claudius Speaks"

How To Sing A Hymn, How To Set Off Fireworks, How To Fear Storms," Cosmonauts Avenue"

How To Unroll, How To Be A 15 Year Old Poet, How To Act In An Emergency," Diode Poetry Journal