Crohnic
Crohnic by Jason Purcell, published by Arsenal Pulp Press on September 9, 2025, is a poetic exploration of living with chronic illness. This 96-page collection delves into the complexities of a medicated life, reflecting on the interplay between nature and the human experience of illness. Through the lens of personal narrative, Purcell examines the relationship between medical treatment and the surrounding environment, offering insights into the challenges and realities faced by those managing chronic conditions.
In Crohnic, readers will find a rich tapestry of imagery and themes that intertwine the physical and emotional landscapes of illness. The poems draw from Purcell’s own journey over two years of treatment for Crohn’s disease, moving between hospital settings and natural landscapes where life and death coexist. The collection features a diverse array of elements, including medical records, ecological observations, and the presence of various creatures, all contributing to a nuanced understanding of chronic illness. This edition invites readers to reflect on the complexities of health, nature, and the connections that shape our lives.
Official synopsis Publisher
A poetic meditation on what it means to live a medicated life, looking toward sites of nature where life and death exist side by side
Crohnic is a brilliant and moving collection of poems that asks, what is the landscape of a medicated life? From their convalescence in a room that overlooks the North Saskatchewan River, author Jason Purcell thinks ecologically with medical records, prescriptions, and dosages, staying attuned to place and to what it might mean to live a life relying on something–in this case, an interminable course of medication–that hurts you in some ways to help you in others. How does the terrain of life change?
Picking up the threads of sickness first plucked in Swollening, Crohnic charts two years of Purcell’s treatment for Crohn’s disease, journeying from hospital rooms to bogs and muskeg, places where life and death intermingle and create the conditions for one another’s flourishing. This is a world populated by coyotes, ermines, steroids, pine, infusion drips, moss, pills, and ice. These other-than-human beings come together in Crohnic, coalescing into relations that together form a personal narrative of the management of chronic illness.
Author
Publisher
Topics
FAQ
What is “Crohnic” about?
Who is the author of “Crohnic”?
When was “Crohnic” published?
What is the ISBN for “Crohnic”?
What are the book details (language, pages, edition)?
