The Book of Jane - Winner of the Iowa Poetry Prize | Award-Winning Poetry Collection | Perfect for Book Clubs & Literary Enthusiasts

There is a reason that Jennifer Habel’s Book of Jane won the Iowa poetry prize. I couldn’t imagine any other competing book could be so withheld yet pointed, candid yet self-aware, or bizarre yet beautiful.In the collection, the character of “Jane” (I interpret as a reference to the generic female from Dick and Jane), functions as an intriguing, clever motif that pulls everything together. How autobiographical this “Jane” is for Habel in certain poems I do not know, but what I do know is that this motif carries feminist commentary in a fresh, new way I had never seen before. Habel creates a feminist piece that is meditative rather than didactic, and gives readers space to think about the differences between the internal lives of women and men.On a personal note, I found many of these poems achingly relatable. Explorations on mother-daughter relationships articulated feelings I never knew how to before. I thank Habel for putting into words what I couldn’t.Something that sets this collection apart is how varied the forms of the poems are. Habel is not afraid to experiment with the presentation of her words. The form of her pieces range from traditional stanzas, to shapes, to checklists, to charts. In each, the medium matches the message.Personal favorites from this collection include “A GUIDE TO JANE’S OFFICE,” “JANE IN THE GUEST ROOM,” and “”DIAGNOSIS: JANE.” Each of these struck me with their honesty, and inspired me to be more transparent about my thoughts and feelings in my own poetry.