The Argument by Tracy Ryan

JUDGES' COMMENTS

Through her superb poetic technique, Tracy Ryan’s sixth volume of poetry questions how we understand the cosmic world. Ryan engages with a range of fields and themes: theology, philosophy, futurology, death, judgment, heaven and hell. The Argument is an individual lyrical take on relationships, love, parenthood, living and dying.

Ryan intertwines the quotidian and metaphysical. She pursues an abstract enquiry into memory, regret, death and its community, daily 'struggles' with nature, marriage and motherhood and place. This is very mature poetry, achieving a difficult balance between articulation and argument. Through this complex matrix of themes and influences, the argument seems to be: the best we have are our intricate personal relationships.