Invisible Lines

Compelling, elegant, and remarkably honest, Invisible Lines is filled with stark, realistic poems that paint an intimate portrait of love, loss, family, and the ever-present need for empathy. In these vibrant poems of nature, culture, and biography, Manglani showcases a true talent for imbuing the smallest human details with authenticity and layered meanings. Each poem maps out the human heart, in all its internal conflicts, with precision and grace. Overflowing with vivid and accessible language, Invisible Lines is both intellectually stimulating and emotionally engaging, reminding us of the beautiful complexities of being human.

-John Sibley Williams

In Invisible Lines, the "clinking of glass" baby bottles lives alongside the moon that we can "cut into wedges." Miriam Manglani grounds us in this world that impacts our bodies and senses, and then reminds us that we are "more than flesh and bones." Her images are at once stark and familiar; we recognize our own reality in hers so we trust that she can "pull a corner of the night." Reading these poems, I felt both recognized and inspired as Manglani shows us the invisible lines that link us to our parents, our children and our own sacred selves.

-Beth Thompson

In Invisible Lines, Miriam Manglani shares a testament to life's most vital connections: between lovers, parent and child, the self and the physical body, humans and the greater-than-human world. Using accessible language and clear imagery, Manglani shows how these tethers are ever-present, manifesting in traditional Jewish foods, the pains and joys of motherhood, and the sense of divinity when tree-climbing. Every poem, like a child's first words, "expands the world with possibility / so much larger than them" and reminds us to "cradle the infinite stars we create."

-Sara Letourneau, Wild Gardens