Author Description

In Lanternfly August, Robin Gow contends with the emotional implications of home through the lens of an often-demonized species of insect. Lanternfly August by Robin Gow swirls the insect world and human identity into a fascinating mandala of self discovery and investigation. These poems use the lanternfly, an insect that is often regarded with disdain, as a lightning rod to channel thoughts about identity, gender, and self. Many of these poems focus on the concept of returning home. Specifically, the tension of returning to a place that you feel nostalgia for, but a place that nonetheless you've grown past. Tender but focused, Lanternfly August asks readers to question their relationship to the lanternfly. Why do we see it as a pest? Why doesn't it belong? What else in our lives do we hold in contempt, and why? This collection also features a bespoke interview with the writer at then end of the book, delving deeper into the craft, influences, and life behind their work. These complex poems also address place and the body in equal parts. Set against the thematic backdrop of the despised lanternfly, these poems consistently challenge humanity's responses to what we consider our home.