Vanishing Sun, by Zach Spruce

Poetry, chapbook, 32 pages, from Bottlecap Features.

Vanishing Sun flickers in and out of lucidity like a tremulous flame. These poems, often coalescing into fractured vignettes, collectively explore themes of love, isolation, mental illness, and addiction. Set in Upstate New York, this work seeks to capture the essence of the region’s storied natural beauty as well as the throes of its urban decay.

The setting of Rochester plays a pivotal role in the chapbook, whereby the nuances of different neighborhoods and local landmarks are woven into the fabric of the verses. The recurring motif of Mount Hope Cemetery serves as a haunting backdrop for explorations into the poet’s inner landscape marred by technoparanoia and climate change fatalism.

In “Ode to Genesee Brewing Co.”, the author pays respect to Rochester’s oldest brewery, reflecting on its influence on the city’s subcultures of which he has been acquainted with. Poems like “i want human rights not a pizza party” and “Voight-Kampf Test” contend with socioeconomic despair amid disquieting visions of possible futures.

With allusions to Blade Runner, Richard Brautigan, and goth rock, Spruce’s work brims with a myriad of influences and hallucinatory images brought to life in dissonant emotional states. Written with a millennial perspective plagued by love-hatred in the streaming service era, Vanishing Sun tempers its overt doom-and-gloom with fleeting glints of hope.

Zach Spruce is a writer, photographer, and musician from Rochester, New York. He received his Bachelor's degree in English and film studies from SUNY College at Brockport. His poetry has been featured in publications including Lilac Mag, Wild Roof Journal, The Closed Eye Open, ANGLES, and Lucky Jefferson. He currently works as a professional coffee enthusiast. His hobbies include record collecting, armchair film criticism, and cycling. Visit zachspruce.wordpress.com to find out more.