Taste: Gastronomic Poems by Francis Raven

The indomitable spirit of cuisine is brought to a boil in this new collection of poems by Francis Raven. Taste revels in the seasons of the senses, as if summer and spring were actions of eating or of smell, asking us in to dinner and savor all that can be experienced in a day. From shopping lists, con

The indomitable spirit of cuisine is brought to a boil in this new collection of poems by Francis Raven. Taste revels in the seasons of the senses, as if summer and spring were actions of eating or of smell, asking us in to dinner and savor all that can be experienced in a day. From shopping lists, conversations, recipes to meditative contemplations on tea, these poems are thoughtful as they are a delight.

What Raven sets out to do in Taste, in effect, is offer a guided tour of his thoughts and ideas on the one hand, and to describe his day-to-day life on the other. The result is a curious melange — not quite a meditation, not quite an annotated recipe book, not quite a philosophical journal, but something of all three.

Aloysius Werner

versations, recipes to meditative contemplations on tea, these poems are thoughtful as they are a delight.

What Raven sets out to do in Taste, in effect, is offer a guided tour of his thoughts and ideas on the one hand, and to describe his day-to-day life on the other. The result is a curious melange — not quite a meditation, not quite an annotated recipe book, not quite a philosophical journal, but something of all three.

Aloysius Werner, American Cuisine: a novel in pieces

Taste is light, fresh and traditionally seasoned with chili peppers and aromatic herbs. It also has a temper, but Raven’s poetry is a pleasant contrast between the two. Each poem is a memorable blend of quality ingredients and sophisticated cooking art. Enjoy.

Geoffrey Gatza, Prominence, fusion cuisine

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Francis Raven is a graduate student in philosophy at Temple University. His first novel, Inverted Curvatures, will be published this fall by Spuyten Duyvil. Poems of his have been published in Mudlark, Conundrum, Untitled, Pindeldyboz, Big Bridge, Le Petite Zine, and Can We Have Our Ball Back? Essays and articles of his have been published in Jacket, Clamor, In These Times, The Fulcrum Annual, Rain Taxi, Sauce, and Pavement Saw. 

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