<p> Sophia Blackwell''s new collection, <i>The Fire-Eater¿s Lover</i>, is about performance of all kinds. Whether it''s the rituals of seduction, the trials and triumphs of squeezing into a red vintage dress or the adrenalin of putting a microphone to your lips, these poems are filled with the joy of performing. <i>The Fire-Eater¿s Lover </i>conjures together scraps of everything from classic blues songs to job rejection letters, marriage proposals and medical questionnaires, and whips them into a circus of illicit sex, love lost and found, bittersweet goodbyes and moments of illumination. </p>