Chapbook, Taylor Leedahl, JackPine Press, jackpinepress.com, $30
They say that singing to your houseplants can help them grow, but what happens when you write a chapbook with them? Perhaps a more pertinent question would be, “How do you go about collaborating with a plant?” Taylor Leedahl approached her household hibiscus with tissue paper and a pencil to get its contributions for this limited-edition chapbook. The resulting leaf rubbings — scattered throughout Hybrid Hibiscus — are more than just decoration; this is a conversation between Leedahl and her plant, and though the hibiscus always replies through the same method, it seems to be saying different things. Leedahl’s side of the exchange is a poem — or maybe several. There are no clear divisions here. Hybrid Hibiscus might be one long poem, or it might be many poem scraps. Handwritten fragments of verse mingle with classifications from botany texts as Leedahl explores (generally speaking) inter-species evolution: her own development, as well as her that of her plant. Leedahl was a regular participant in Random Acts of Poetry: a yearly, week-long celebration of the poem that included random street readings to surprise passers-by. Reading Hybrid Hibiscus is probably close to what it would’ve been like to witness one of those poetry sneak attacks. The hibiscus never saw it coming. (Scott Bryson)