the next field over. Poetry by nicole v basta.. Paperback. 44 pages. January 18th, 2022. ISBN 9781948800921.

Poet nicole v basta’s the next field over acts as a rewilding. Through her exquisite verse, readers experience the possibilities of living in a post-industrial, post-capitalist world that honors the vulnerability of nature. The poet writes, “all i am / trying to make is a home for the lost,” which she admits will not come easily: “maybe to be rendered small by the wild / for a moment is the only fear that’s a gift.” These untitled poems strip bare the drywall, render the ordinary as sacred, and evoke the pastoral as a mirror held up to the modern world, pressing it for answers as to why we praise what we praise.