Robert Poems

A speculative poetic history reimagining Robert Blake, the brother of the celebrated poet William Blake, as a trans man in the eighteenth century.Blending deeply researched historical details with the authors personal experiences,The Robert Poemsplayfully 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 Roberts untimely death at the age of twenty-fivethe 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?For fans of Jordy RosenbergsConfessions of the Foxand Ruth Padels Darwin, The Robert Poemsprovides 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.