Apsis, by Francis Walsh

Poetry, chapbook, 20 pages, from Bottlecap Features. The title poem in this chapbook, Apsis, refers to “either of two points on the orbit of a planet or satellite that are nearest to or furthest from the body around which it moves,” and the poems embody this cycling of near and far, of solitude and yearning. Direct and conversational, the poems take a playful approach to discussing issues of mental health, loneliness, and being attracted to a living world that is at once hostile and inviting. The poems reference horror movies and cartoons and attempt to present a voice of ironic detachment, at once sincere and dismissive, as a way to invite the reader to question the conclusions drawn by the speaker. Above all, the collection is a small, hopeful moment of connection, one where the reader will pause in their day as the chapbook flies into their orbit. Francis Walsh is a writer from Portland, Maine. Their fiction and poetry can be found in literary journals such as Arts & Letters, Chicago Quarterly Review, Split Lip, The Quarter(ly) and elsewhere. They are the co-editor of Scraps, a journal of rejected work. When not writing, they enjoy lounging with their two pet rabbits, Leo and Zoe.