In his much-anticipated second poetry collection, David Ebenbach addresses the full scope of the human condition—past, present, and future. Exploring the vast sweep of history, from our ancient evolutionary origins to our future archaeological remains, Ebenbach’s deceptively light-handed poems penetrate to the core of what it means to be human, a brief but exquisite being, full of appetites both healthy and harmful.

David Ebenbach is the author of the novel Miss Portland, selected by Peter Orner for the 2016 Orison Poetry Prize, and three short story collections: The Guy We Didn’t Invite to the Orgy and Other Stories (winner of the Juniper Prize, University of Massachusetts Press), Between Camelots (winner of the Drue Heinz Literature Prize, University of Pittsburgh Press), and Into the Wilderness (Winner of the Washington Writers Publishing House Fiction Prize, WWPH). He is also the author of a full-length collection of poetry, We Were the People Who Moved (Winner of the Patricia Bibby Prize, Tebot Bach) and a guide to the creative process called The Artist’s Torah (Cascade Books). Ebenbach holds a PhD in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an MFA in Writing from Vermont College. He teaches creative writing at Georgetown University.

“Ebenbach is a seeker and seer, steeped in Jewish tradition and, like Walt Whitman, a poet who so loves the world, with its griefs, mysteries, and joys, that he teaches us to love the world with him.” – Jesse Lee Kercheval

“Sometimes wisdom is offered with a light touch, with a wink and a nod. Sometimes the poem that charms us is the poem that disarms us, not because we are persuaded that we no longer need to be on constant guard against the threats of the world, but rather because our sense of wonder is restored to us, wonder that is wide enough to hold the pleasure and pain of the world. […] Cling to this book. It will add life to your life.” – Richard Chess 

“These are poems that rejoice in all that is creaturely and make sharp fun at our brief place on earth. And if we are ever tempted to get whiney and world-weary, these wise and important poems remind us in the most generous way that ‘the snow / follows us just to say, get over yourselves, / we all have our problems.’” – Victoria Redel