Test Piece By Sheryda Warrener Coach House Books 80 pages, $23 A test piece, Sheryda Warrener informs her readers near the end of the collection, “is a record of an experiment/ with unconventional materials,” a trial run to see “how they might behave or/ transform...

Modern Fables By Mikka Jacobsen Freehand Books 224 pages, $23 A lie’ is one of three definitions for “fable.” “Fable” can also mean a story that’s intended to convey “a useful truth,” especially if the story involves anthropomorphic animals. Or it can describe a story...