"In Karen Rigby's poems we are in a world far from innocence. We are, in fact, in the 'savage machinery' of the world after the fall, a world stricken with beauty and flaw. Whether writing about the 'heart's declensions' in the voice of Norma Desmond, or about the 'multiple selves' of the onion, or the 'dumb abandonment' of Da Vinci's flying machine, Rigby's poems negotiate the balance between wonder and woundedness. Rigby's eye is phenomenally attuned to everything it sees, and even past what's seen, to the 'rooms behind / the ones you know.' The poems are vividly strange, and utterly heartbreaking."

Rick Barot, author of Want and The Darker Fall

"The poems of Savage Machinery are driven by both a keen sense of rhythm and a confident announcement of Rigby's metaphoric visions of the world. 'The pure, explosive signature' of her poetry aspires toward Blake's admonition to 'see not with but thro the eye,' and because of this imaginative ambition (conveyed with music and grace), the poems reveal a vivid sensual world that seems both wholly familiar and holy strange. Simply, a stunning chapbook".

Tod Marshall, author of Dare Say

"It's no accident that some of these poems reference Edward Hopper. Rigby's language evokes his sparse, barren landscapes where emptiness is tangible, menacing, and beautiful. Her poems are so packed they bloom at the touch. The results are stunning."

Jim Daniels, author of Blessing the House

"A vividly emotional portrayal of the darkness and emptiness that mar the beauty of life and natural wonder, Savage Machinery is an unforgettable collection that deserves to be pondered at length."

Midwest Book Review
(Vol. 7 Num. 12, December 2008)