“Verve, wit, bold associations and visionary conjunctions distinguish the prose poems of Danielle Mitchell’s debut collection, Makes the Daughter-in-Law Cry. With allusions to David Bowie and Heraclitus, a geographical range from Chicago to Afghanistan to the stars, as well as deeply private family intimacies as subject matter, Mitchell reveals new worlds of wonder and absurdity with a dark brilliance that is entirely her own. Although she warns us in open that [we]’ll never get out alive, in another she asserts that even though the future is behind us now, I thought I should stand here and sing. I’m so glad she does. This is a delightful book full of marvelous mix-ups and wisdom.”
