States of matter Book

In States of Matter the forces of change provide a unifying element. A "people's poet," Brown offers in this collection a wide variety of subjects and moods, with poems that range from hauntingly beautiful lyrics, to engaging narratives to pieces that provoke and confront. Racy, raunchy works, such as 35 In The Backseat and The Scientific Method, can be found, as well as meditations on child abuse and its effects, as well as the devastation of Alzheimer's disease. Like the persona in the book's final, long narrative, Driving Instincts -- a tour de force of the genre -- Brown is a "pedal to the metal" poet who holds nothing back. Canadian critic Gary Geddes in speaking of Ronnie Brown's last collection with Black Moss -- Photographic Evidence - noted "...hers is a blessedly quirky version of reality." Another critic wrote that Brown's approach to poetry is that she makes it "appealing to people not usually inclined to read it...."