Take What You Want

the long version

“These well-crafted poems are reminiscent of Anne Sexton’s <em>Transformations</em>; readers will look forward to witnessing the transformations to come in Goodman’s future work.” —<em>Library Journal</em> “If I think of forerunners to this collection, I am immediately reminded of Sylvia Plath’s zero to the bone accuracy. . .the visceral immediacy of her poetry makes Goodman Plath’s heir . . . reading and rereading Take What You Want, I felt as if I was being told privileged secrets as old and as necessary as the first stories and the first tellers themselves.” —<em>Iron Horse Literary Review</em> “Henrietta Goodman’s debut rivets with its accuracy, honesty and fluency. These poems have tonal ranges necessary for the complexities Goodman tackles, sometimes tames, more often allows to remain feral and wild. At times the poems read as if they were urgent instructions hellbent on keeping us alive. <em>Take What You Want</em> isn’t shy about giving us a lot of what we need.” —Dara Wier “<em>Take What You Want</em> is all about generosity, ‘including’ us, via startling images and vibrant language, by involving us in the world view of a distinct speaker—daughter, mother, citizen, partner—as existence and imagination force her to ask questions, some answerable, some simply—and, in these poems, beautifully—survived. ” —Christopher Davis