Unflinching and magnetic, the language and structure of Aurum never strays from its dedication to revealing the prominent reality of Native people being marginalized and discarded in the wake of industrial progress. While uncovering different forms of oppression that estrange Native Americans from their own land, these poems explore the raw and disturbing aspects of living in the wastelands of contemporary America.

Aurum does not attempt to provide answers or solutions. Instead, it splits the belly of North America and lays it bare into powerful words and unconventional structures. Brutally honest and incredibly fine tuned, this collection digs up “the grit where teeth once rooted” to show the objectification of Native peoples and cultures for the grotesque erasure it really is.

With images that taunt, disturb, and fascinate, Aurum captures the vibrantly original language in Santee Frazier’s first collection, Dark Thirty, while taking on a completely new voice and rhythm. Each poem is vivid and memorable, beckoning to be read again and again as the words lend an enhanced experience each time. Frazier has crafted a wrought-iron collection of poetry that never shies away from a truth that America often attempts to ignore.

Santee Frazier received his BFA from the Institute of American Indian Arts and his MFA from Syracuse University. Frazier is director of the Institute of American Indian Arts Low Residency MFA Program. He is a member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma.

“Part testimony, part archival project, Aurum is constructed of disparate narratives and fragments, lists of objects, and a series of drawings. These poems, like fine jewels, radiate through an impenetrable darkness like the lives depicted in this triumphant collection.”—Cynthia Cruz

“Frazier’s poetic indigeneity is neither framed nor calibrated in a rote or calculated way: of course not. Its concerned cadences surpass those of mere decipherment of the tale. Aurum is extraordinary.” —Joan Naviyuk Kane

“Aurum is a trove of sensations. These poems leap in the mind with a mix of acuity and wildness. Santee Frazier’s verbal intensities radiate from a deeply meditative marrow. His poems feel simultaneously allegorical and personal, relaxed and rigorous. Technical mastery is tethered to soul. Each time I read this book, I am more amazed.”—Terrance Hayes