Synopsis "What the Body Remembers"
Adele Slaughter's first book of poems, What the Body Remembers, was published by Story Line Press in 1994. It is an autobiographical collection of glimpses into a childhood fraught with familial violence, alcoholism, and trauma, and the life that has been led in its wake; the failure of a marriage and the experiences that forever mold us as human beings. Through all the abuse and suffering these poems portray, however, the driving theme behind What the Body Remembers never falters: the reader is left with an inspiring picture of courage, perseverance, femininity, and the survival of the truest self. The subject of the work remains always the poet, the speaker, even as great attention is drawn to the circumstance surrounding her, providing an impactful example of how our greatest pains may leave us changed, but not defined, and never defeated. Pat Monaghan called the book "a stunning debut volume."Established in 1985 by Robert McDowell and Mark Jarman, Story Line Press gained an international reputation as a press that championed narrative and formal poetry, innovative anthologies, and criticism written in a public voice rather than academic style. Despite limited resources, Story Line became one of the most influential literary presses of the era publishing new and established writers.
