Winner of the 1996 National Poetry Series, judged and selected by William Matthews. In this dynamic first collection, Jeanne Marie Beaumont navigates the dusky waters between opposites in a voice that is imbued with a mix of quirky self-consciousness and graceful, perceptive consciousness. The tension between these two voices results in a deftly energetic cadence that lifts the poems off the page. Placebo Effects examines the communal and the intimate: whether considering medicine and mysticism, celebrating a commonplace object, eavesdropping on a provocative conversation, or enjoying the eerie and exquisite privacy of falling asleep. Beaumont's precise and curious attention to the world and to her own use of language proclaim the arrival of an exceptional talent. -- "Jeanne Marie Beaumont's poems are smart and full of feeling, heartbrokenly in love with the snares and clarities of the language she writes in, and lit throughout by a kind of wry wonder. Here's a first volume to celebrate". -- William Matthews