Village: Recession - Paperback

by Jo Pitkin (Author)

Money. We all need it and use it in our daily lives for basic necessities such as food, clothing, services, and housing. What happens when financial resources begin to dry up without warning? In Village: Recession, Jo Pitkin explores the Great Recession of the early 2000s through the lens of a close-knit village, documenting the effects of this worldwide downturn on residents of the community and on the poet herself. Pitkin peels back layers of monetary vulnerability and her own family's economic history to reveal the emotional, social, and psychological toll of facing financial insecurity. In diary-like detail, her poems convey the anxiety and isolation generated by this global crisis but also celebrate the pleasures of ordinary experiences-the unexpected sight of a walking stick insect or the gift of a free bag of babkas-despite the gradual contraction of her daily life. Pitkin's finely crafted verse offers a lyrical road map for surviving setbacks and affirms our innate capacity for resilience.