The Intentions of Thunder by Patricia Smith
Poetry Book Society Special Commendation Summer 2026 Anne Michaels Over all haunts the presence-in-absence

Over all haunts the presence-in-absence of Sylvia Plath

to “the sense of an epic journey into the darkness of the western psyche … One is reminded above all

' Kayo Chingonyi

sexual experiment

Like Verlaine

The Intentions of Thunder by Patricia Smith <br><b>Poetry Book Society Special Commendation Summer 2026</b> Anne Michaels Over all haunts the presence-in-absenceWinner of the National Book Award for Poetry 2025 Finalist for the 2026 Pulitzer Prize in Poetry Poetry Book Society Special Commendation 'Patricia Smith is the greatest living poet. Every book is better than the last.' Danez Smith, The Guardian America's Patricia Smith is one of the most indispensable, groundbreaking voices in contemporary poetry, a 'masterful performer and poet of voices too little heard' (Poetry Foundation). The Intentions of