Pilgrim Bell by Kaveh Akbar
Beautifully at home in language, Akbar communicates a boundless warmth and intimacy through his poetry, even as he faces his pain: dissecting imperialism, racism and Islamophobia, addiction recovery, and the struggle for a path to goodness in the life we’re given. With his spiritual awareness, formal experimentation, and talent for line breaks, Akbar instantly became one of my favorite poets, and I highly recommend reading Pilgrim Bell with his debut novel Martyr! as the poetry and prose illuminate each other in beautiful and surprising ways.