ALSO BY MAX RITVO
Poetry
Four Reincarnations
Nonfiction
Letters from Max (with Sarah Ruhl)
© 2018, Text by Max Ritvo
© 2018, Editor’s Note by Louise Glück
All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical articles or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publisher: Milkweed Editions, 1011 Washington Avenue South, Suite 300, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55415.
(800) 520-6455
Published 2018 by Milkweed Editions
Printed in Canada
Cover design by Mary Austin Speaker
Author photo by Ashley Woo
18 19 20 21 22 5 4 3 2 1
First Edition
Milkweed Editions, an independent nonprofit publisher, gratefully acknowledges sustaining support from the Jerome Foundation; the Lindquist & Vennum Foundation; the McKnight Foundation; the National Endowment for the Arts; the Target Foundation; and other generous contributions from foundations, corporations, and individuals. Also, this activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund, and a grant from Wells Fargo. For a full listing of Milkweed Editions supporters, please visit milkweed.org.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Ritvo, Max, 1990-2016, author. | Gluck, Louise, 1943- editor.
Title: The final voicemails / Max Ritvo ; edited by Louise Gluck.
Description: Minneapolis : Milkweed Editions, 2018.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017058089 (print) | LCCN 2018000244 (ebook) | ISBN 9781571319906 (ebook) | ISBN 9781571315113 (cloth : acid-free paper)
Classification: LCC PS3618.I8 (ebook) | LCC PS3618.I8 A6 2018 (print) | DDC 811/.6--dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017058089
Milkweed Editions is committed to ecological stewardship. We strive to align our book production practices with this principle, and to reduce the impact of our operations in the environment. We are a member of the Green Press Initiative, a nonprofit coalition of publishers, manufacturers, and authors working to protect the world’s endangered forests and conserve natural resources. The Final Voicemails was printed on acid-free 100% post-consumer-waste paper by Friesens Corporation.
CONTENTS
2 The Soundscape of Life Is Charred by Tiny Bonfires
3 Delphi
5 Earthquake Country before Final Chemotherapy
10 Dinner in Los Angeles, Raining in July
11 Anatomic and Hydraulic Chastity
15 December 29
16 Tuesday
17 Name My Time of Death and See What I Do to You
18 Cachexia
21 Leisure-Loving Man Suffers Untimely Death
2 Troy
3 Bustan
4 Mom Myth
5 Broad Spectrum Romance Novel
6 Sheol
7 Too