PHOENIX SONG has many recurring themes— non-binary gender, queer and bi+ sexuality, and childhood and psychiatric trauma. As the traumas resonate within the speaker, we understand them as the root of mental health struggles— rather than clinical, problematic psychiatric “diagnosis.”
With
Phoenix Song
, Green establishes themself once again as a fiery truth-teller, a writer not afraid to taste the pomegranate or to stare directly into the portrait lens before the shutter clicks. This is a journey to the center of the soul. I wanted to carry this book against my chest like a nametag, like a shield. I look forward to more and more of Green’s work in the future. – Meg Elison
A beautiful, poignant, and resilient collection of poetry and prose exploring the intersections of gender, sexuality, mental health, and being embodied. – Julia Serano