The student newspaper of Bucks County Community College

The Centurion

The student newspaper of Bucks County Community College

The Centurion

The student newspaper of Bucks County Community College

The Centurion

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“Sara or the Existence of Fire”

In her second full-length poetry book, “Sara or the Existence of Fire,” author Sara Woods experiments with the form alternative literature, and explores the theme of nature by incorporating humanistic qualities to it.

Wood’s book, narrated by a young girl named Sara, takes readers through a series of silhouettes where each is another short snapshot of Sara’s surreal world.

In Sara’s world the common theme of nature takes on humanistic qualities of awkward acquaintances, inanimate objects become cherished friends, and humans act as a collective, feeling confused about their identities.

Woods currently identifies as a trans-woman.  This is Wood’s first work where she identifies herself as fully a female author, as such; the exploration of gender and identity is key within the pages of “Sara or the Existence of Fire.”

The poems in this book take on the form of alternative literature, which acts as both a genre and a style.  As a form, alternative literature is one big experiment, and common compositional elements are shared by Woods.

Brittany Allen, a New York writer and editor for BUST magazine describes alternative literature as being “about immediacy, movement, re-appropriation and a curious fusion of the ironic and the sincere.”

The character, Sara, appears to be noticing her body, always for the first time, throughout the book.

Woods’ prose ask readers to place an emphasis on the simple mannerisms and an importance on familiarizing one’s self with the human body.

The binary relationship between life and death also flows through Wood’s prose, and the struggle between having a healthy relationship between these two opposites, as one cannot exist without the other.

The character Sara often times feels death in some way, like when the ocean speaks in her ears continuously or when flies slowly takeover each surface in Sara’s house.

In each of these instances though, Sara is also attempting to actively feel alive, to physically embrace the world that surrounds her with each of the senses and tiny compartments in her brain even as death hovers somewhere nearby.

When reading “Sara or the Existence of Fire,” it feels as if Woods is opening up in an honest, sincere way, and shares her metaphorical struggles that have shaped her views of the world.

Woods’ book is deeply comforting and capable of quieting our modern day existential woes.

This world we live in is overwhelming at times, frightening, and difficult to comprehend.  Yet, Woods poems offer a reprieve from our daily trials and tribulations by sending us on a therapeutic journey through an imaginative world with a young girl, who deals with our same struggles.

Woods works endlessly to support the art community, especially alternative literature, and through her writing has aided and given voice not only to the LGBT community, but all humans struggling with self identity, depression, or general weariness.

“Sara or the Existence of Fire” can be purchased from horselesspress.org for $15, or at amazon.com for $14.25.