Hills Full of Holes

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Hills Full of Holes immerses readers in a world where the senses are heightened and disrupted by both a brain injury and a landscape in flux. Alter’s third collection begins with vivid imagery — "Birdcall a doorlatch" — as the poet embarks on a journey of healing through the trails of East Bay Area parklands. But this collection is more than a sensory exploration; it’s a deep investigation into the forces that shape both the body and the land. Alter’s poems probe historical layers, erasing and reworking texts to reflect the profound impacts of European colonization, the environmental toll of industrialization, and the ongoing struggle for the land’s original inhabitants. Hills Full of Holes is part elegy, part pastoral, and a poignant tribute to the beloved but beleaguered spaces we seek for solace.