Description: At a time when binaristic and hierarchical relations are being readily interrogated, MADE ? a unity of two voices fused into a single, poetic third ? takes up a critique of the human-animal divide in their full-length debut, ZZOO. From the depths of the oceans to the outer reaches of the sky, a menagerie of species trade off time in the limelight, none of them solely occupying the central space on the global stage. MADE's collaborative practice foregrounds interdependence, outward focus, shared spaces and non-hierarchical thinking, all of which emerge allegorically in interzonal poems that are as richly realized as they are formally eclectic. This wild-blooded collection turns conventional exhibitionism on its head, treating humans and animals as equal subjects of art, science and selfhood. ZZOO is a bestiary for the modern world.
Brief description: MADE (est. 2018) is a collaborative writing entity. It is the name given to the joint authorship of Mark Laliberte and Jade Wallace -- artists whose active solo practices, while differing radically, serve to complement one another. MADE's writing has appeared in numerous journals and chapbooks, and they have delivered workshops on collaborative writing at several festivals, including VerseFest Ottawa.
Review Quotes: "Most impressive throughout ZZOO is MADE's extraordinary attention to detail, and their almost bibliophilic attention to the composition of each poem. Close readers will feel the heart imbued within the writing, the passion behind the work's creation, and the genuine, contagious belief in the message. It seems that we live in a culture that is increasingly removing itself from natural experience, and ZZOO is a refreshing step back, away from--or perhaps across--the divide. It is fresh, authentic, genuine, and a truly deep piece of work that warrants attention and admiration; it fences in a small but powerful world that poetry lovers will want to revisit again and again to observe language on display in an artful facsimile of its natural habitat." -- Matt Boylan, issue no. 8 of THE AMPERSAND REVIEW