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POINTS OF INFLECTION

JILL MANDRAKE

If you like chapbooks, there is an illuminating column in SubTerrain that discusses many of the latest ones: “Chuffed about Chapbooks,” by Kevin Spenst. If I may borrow Kevin’s word, I was totally chuffed to read the enigmatic and fleeting epiphanies that comprise M.A.C. Farrant’s most recent chapbook, Some of the Puzzles (above/ground press). The first line in one of the stories, “Puzzle of Lifesavers,” delivers the message that our higher power can be found anywhere, and everywhere, as “Jesus Christ turned up as a greeter when I was standing in line at the bank.” Naturally, everyone in the line was either staring at the floor or working their phones at the time. Another spiritual leader who shows up in one of the stories is Shunryu Suzuki, while a host of filmmakers and artists are mentioned in other stories: Jim Jarmusch, Jean-Luc Godard, Mary Pratt, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Gertrude Stein. Regarding the latter, in “Puzzle of Youth,” an English graduate who is enraptured by Stein’s colossal intellect has an insightful moment where “the cherry pie is a miracle!” It’s evocative of the Zen poem about how wondrous it is to chop wood and carry water. A similar piece, “Puzzle of Clairvoyance,” may especially appeal to film buffs, as it’s based on a scene from The Bicycle Thief. It’s impossible, though, to discern where the story ends and the movie begins. Then there is “Puzzle of Astrology,” where the author sees her father in a care home, “with an afghan blanket spread across his knees,” as two mystical nursing assistants tell his fortune. Some of the Puzzles is the most spiritual book I’ve read so far this year. It’s like listening to a recording of “Stolen Moments” by Oliver Nelson; makes me glad I’m on Planet Earth. —Jill Mandrake

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JILL MANDRAKE

Jill Mandrake writes strange but true stories and leads Sister DJ’s Radio Band, featuring rhythm and blues covers, post-vaudeville original tunes and occasional comedy bits. https://hido.bandcamp.com/album/the-neti-pot

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