Adrienne Chang's poem expand and contract throughout this book of tight, impressionistic poems. From the long restless lines of Bardo Baby to the shorAdrienne Chang's poem expand and contract throughout this book of tight, impressionistic poems. From the long restless lines of Bardo Baby to the short lines of emotional pang of 21st Century Pizza, her poems, overall, display a sense of catching up to something emotional and elusive. Often, when the mood gets heavy in the collection, she unveils a wit that suddenly makes her poems glow and ache. It's a wonderful balance. Toward the end of the book, in the excellent, Dante-esque 15-part sonnet, Dungeon Master she scours her past lives while looking forward to her next life, another bargain...
know there's nothing good behind that final door but a wooden desk where I write in the dark....more
I think Andrew Weatherhead should be the poet laureate of nba.com or at least NBA Twitter. It would be great if he and Ross Gay collaborated on a poemI think Andrew Weatherhead should be the poet laureate of nba.com or at least NBA Twitter. It would be great if he and Ross Gay collaborated on a poem cycle about the NBA playoffs. This is another wonderful book by Weatherhead and the poem about the Photoshop instructor is my fave here....more
I like Ruefle's poetry, but for me it's her poetic mini-essays. She makes this kind of writing look easy with her confident bare bones style. And it'sI like Ruefle's poetry, but for me it's her poetic mini-essays. She makes this kind of writing look easy with her confident bare bones style. And it's slyly FUNNY! So much so that I felt myself bracing myself for the laughs at the start of every piece. The longer piece in the middle of the book (The Book!), Dear Friends, is a big, beautiful, and wise masterpiece. I think Ruefle is a most peculiar genius. ...more
These poems burn steady and strong like a new wildfire heading straight to where you live. Gion Davis's words are full of sensations you can taste andThese poems burn steady and strong like a new wildfire heading straight to where you live. Gion Davis's words are full of sensations you can taste and feel. And the various musical mentions and references smartly planted here and there are like firecrackers. ...more
Marya's poems are intense and nervy, sensual and challenging, and dig for a deeper understanding of how family, love, and place form a person. Many spMarya's poems are intense and nervy, sensual and challenging, and dig for a deeper understanding of how family, love, and place form a person. Many spectacular highlights and sharp insights in these pages....more
The back of the book says poetry but they're sort of more flash fiction-y. This is like a very funny and strange alternate version of the Troy I know The back of the book says poetry but they're sort of more flash fiction-y. This is like a very funny and strange alternate version of the Troy I know and love (which makes my love grow deeper). This is like a evil twin version of TJW, perhaps a mushroom poet version of TJW. Whatever it is, I love it, and I'm lucky to have one of the very few copies made. Damn, I wonder how much this baby is going to be worth in ten years?...more
Sommer's like one of those friends who you love to hang out with, even if she's all over the place and following her thought process takes ninja brainSommer's like one of those friends who you love to hang out with, even if she's all over the place and following her thought process takes ninja brain skills. I always enjoy the inventive wit of her poems (sometimes more like jokes) and found a level of vulnerability in this collection that felt aching and alive. The Twilight Zone question-and-answer thread throughout (where Sommer tells you "what your problem is" based on the episode you remember most) was cool and had a perceptive vibe that felt like fortune telling. As she says in the poem, Life: A Draft (Prologue): I want this to be a very, very serious joke book. ...more
Wadlinger, an excellent translator of other poets, offers up her own collection. It's a wonderfully weird and slightly unhinged batch of prose-ish surWadlinger, an excellent translator of other poets, offers up her own collection. It's a wonderfully weird and slightly unhinged batch of prose-ish surrealisms. ...more
So much life in these poems. They capture the messiness of love and family in such a detail-focused and caring way, that it almost gives the illusion So much life in these poems. They capture the messiness of love and family in such a detail-focused and caring way, that it almost gives the illusion of tidiness. Still, under the surface, spots of darkness taken over by a beacon of light....more
The majority of my creative work in the past eight years has been in the world of collage art--making it, learning about it, hosting events about it, The majority of my creative work in the past eight years has been in the world of collage art--making it, learning about it, hosting events about it, running workshops, curating in-person shows (as well as the international on-line gallery, Sharp Hands (https://www.sharphandsgallery.com/), and putting this book together. I'm excited and fortunate to have this opportunity and I think this book showcases a bunch of different styles and approaches through the years. There are also about thirty poems in the book. I think there's a relationship between collage and poetry as art forms and the way we organized the book (masterfully designed by Matthew Revert) has, perhaps accidentally, created a sort of weird narrative. If I were to be so bold...maybe I shouldn't...okay I will: This is a "visual novel" about the world as we know it now. Oh gosh. I hope you enjoy (comes out in July)!...more
The long-awaited follow-up to Sorrow Arrow doesn't disappoint. Frey is a master of balancing the vulnerable and the strong and that ability feels evenThe long-awaited follow-up to Sorrow Arrow doesn't disappoint. Frey is a master of balancing the vulnerable and the strong and that ability feels even more rigorous in her longer poems here (not to mention their long and bold titles). I also felt a strong emotional undertow in the poems regarding friendships and social constructs (gender, in particular, gets poked a few times with Frey's arrows). There's also a wonderful aura of playfulness and bawdiness that keeps you on your toes. A beautiful book that was worth the wait. ...more
Loading...
