Scapes, by Sarah Tate

Poetry, chapbook, 36 pages, from Bottlecap Features.

Scapes explores the interchange between place and memory—how landscapes shape us, and how we, in turn, shape them. From Venus to Aberdeen to neighborhood sidewalks, these poems form a travelogue of the soul, wandering outer terrains that mirror inner worlds: memory’s vast fields, the spaces of dreams and hopes, and the desire for connection across time and space.

Mixing scenic reflection and sharp observation with a bit of wistful longing for days now gone, this collection reminds us that we’re the shape of many places, both real and imagined, and they live, “thick as primal quiet,” below the surface of who we are. Through intertwining self, place, and past, Scapes crafts a landscape that begins to uncover the hazy contours of existence itself.

Sarah Tate is a writer, poet, and editor with a passion for storytelling. Her work often meditates on the embodied world, eternal reflections, and the intersection between philosophy and ordinary life. A Pushcart Prize nominee, she has been featured in Solum Literary Press, Ekstasis, The Orchards Poetry Journal, and elsewhere. She lives in Partlow, Virginia, where she enjoys long walks and contemplating things she doesn’t understand.