Selected Press
Out of Mind & Into Body and bugbutter, reviewed by Diane Wiener
for Wordgathering
From the review: The poem and its protagonist are organisms both human and plant-like, an ecosystem, beings who have just referenced a sequence of seemingly disparate “cosmological” and “dilutive” elements, whose co-existences are messy and disruptive, bent on holism while refuting and questioning their isolation, existence, and creation. Poems including “As a poet, I oversalt my food.” (the title of which has a period, as shown here) and “biomedical transition comes to moominvalley” offer differently bold admixtures of humor, chutzpah, and anti-ableist, pro-Neuroqueer commentary.
Out of Mind and Into Body, reviewed
Out of Mind & Into Body (Ethel Press, 2022) by [sarah] Cavar draws on everything from erasure to “prayers in drag, / poems who enumerate in wordless codes fitted to the human throat” (“Aggregation”) to existential crises on the bus to create an intimate portrait of the author’s lived intersections between physical and mental illness. Cavar’s searing imagery combined with their splendidly jarring forms and dauntless voice throughout the chapbook deeply touched me as a fellow chronically ill queer who could see myself in so much of this collection.
In this collection of thirteen poems, Cavar engages in various forms, adding to the captivating reading experience. The poet’s use of rich sounds and visceral images throughout serves each poem uniquely, yet allows them to cohere in this solid chapbook. Upon finishing bugbutter, I guarantee you will find yourself reading these biting poems aloud again and again.
bugbutter, reviewed by SG Huerta
for Porter House Lit
The blood gushing from her face, clotting in her lungs, becomes a casual talking point as the damage that is occurring to her body (perhaps a metaphor for internal wounds) is normalized as a part of the effort to be pretty. The way that this story shines a light on how we bleed for a society that cares nothing for our health, with the hope that it will value us for our emaciated bodies, is vital. This mini-chapbook and others unapologetically challenges our society and forces the public to reckon with the harm intrinsic in the beauty standards we hold for women.
A Hole Walked In, reviewed by Solstice Black
For Sundress Reads
Cavar animates the protagonist’s nightmarescape through wry, tactile prose. When a passing journalist pauses “periodically to squeeze their pimpled jaw,” she tastes their pus, retching into her sink until they are no longer within range. Through these moments of heightened disgust and awareness, Cavar deftly guides readers [back] into their bodies, ensnaring them in empathy. No need to have experienced ableism to understand its full horror, Cavar reassures. I’ll make sure you know.
With this haunting second 2021 release, Cavar once more proves themselves a master of Mad writing. A HOLE WALKED IN is sure to be a modern surrealist fable, best consumed in one breathless sitting.
A Hole Walked in, reviewed by Fox Auslander
On Medium