"Shapero writes in an urgent vernacular that flirts, stings, implores and demands with apparent abandon."--Houston Chronicle

"Shapero's poetics has real-world import for the way we use language to talk about messy things."--Volta

Thought-provoking and sardonically expressive, Shapero is a self-proclaimed "hard child"--unafraid of directly addressing bleakness as she continually asks what it means to be human and to bring new life into the world. Hard Child is musical and argumentative, deadly serious yet tinged with self-parody, evoking the spirit of Plath...