{"product_id":"the-robert-poems","title":"The Robert Poems","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBy S. Yarberry\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA speculative poetic history reimagining Robert Blake, the brother of the poet William Blake, as a trans person in the eighteenth century.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e November 17th, 2026\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePaperback:\u003c\/strong\u003e 9781646054503\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eeBook:\u003c\/strong\u003e 9781646054510\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eDescription\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA speculative poetic history reimagining Robert Blake, the brother of the poet William Blake, as a trans man in the eighteen century.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBlending deeply researched historical details with the author’s personal experiences, \u003cem\u003eThe Robert Poems \u003c\/em\u003eplayfully and critically imagines a trans literary archive during a period in which transness, as we know it today, is not always readily visible. Robert Blake was a ghostly figure that often visited his brother, William, after Robert’s untimely death at the age of twenty-five—the same age S. Yarberry was when they began their medical transition. This happenstance of transitions, medical and metaphysical, drove Yarberry through a series of poetic explorations culminating in a collection with one question beating at its heart: what if trans history could be built on abundance, rather than scarcity?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor fans of Jordy Rosenberg’s \u003cem\u003eConfessions of the Fox \u003c\/em\u003eand Ruth Padel’s \u003cem\u003eDarwin\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eThe Robert Poems \u003c\/em\u003eprovides a lush landscape for Robert to thrive within, offering a new wellspring for trans pasts and a springboard from which to imagine inventive, expansive trans futures.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eBiographical Information\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eS. Yarberry\u003c\/strong\u003e (he\/they) is a trans poet and scholar. Their poems have appeared in \u003cem\u003eAGNI\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eGuernica\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eGulf Coast\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eIndiana Review\u003c\/em\u003e, among many others. His first book, \u003cem\u003eA Boy in the City\u003c\/em\u003e, (Deep Vellum, 2022), was the winner of the Foreword INDIES Prize in Poetry. S. is currently a PhD Candidate in English at Northwestern University where he studies William Blake. Based in Chicago, S. runs the literary magazine \u003cem\u003eTyger Quarterly\u003c\/em\u003e and hosts the monthly PO Box Poetry reading series.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eReviews\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“What an incredible collection of poems! Once I started, I could not stop reading. S. Yarberry has created a space for a lens on themselves and the world between two Blakes. 'Someone is opening up their arms to engulf what cannot be forgiven. Sorrow happens in the daylight too.' \u003cem\u003eThe Robert Poems\u003c\/em\u003e is great news from a brilliant poet queering the language anew.” \u003cstrong\u003e—CA Conrad, author of \u003cem\u003eFirst Light\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Deep Vellum","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":47399488651513,"sku":"9781646054503","price":18.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"eBook","offer_id":47399488684281,"sku":"9781646054510","price":12.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0433\/1651\/0883\/files\/9781646054503_FC.jpg?v=1777385151","url":"https:\/\/store.deepvellum.org\/products\/the-robert-poems","provider":"Deep Vellum","version":"1.0","type":"link"}