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The Book Bag: Joy Is My Middle Name by Sasha Debevec-McKenney

Welcome back to The Book Bag. I hope you’ve had a poetic week.

The weather took a turn for the better this week. It was great to feel the warm spring sunshine and be out in the garden and allotment. Thankfully, Storm Dave caused minimal harm to the allotment structures with only a cover being askew and one pane dislodged in the greenhouse. More vegetables have been planted, and the bulbs are in bloom. At home we planted some bat mix in a hope to attract some bats to the garden.

My regular barber fixed my hair which was great. In February, I went to a different barbershop and long story short my hair was shaved off using grade 2 clippers rather than my asked for trim.

I’m almost finished finalising the running order of the Unwhispered Legacy launch night. It’s a fantastic lineup of readers and you can get your audience tickets here.

Did you catch Eleanor Holmes second piece being added to her Poetic Voice feature? Read it here. Eleanor is launching #Moth on 19th April with a wonderful ensemble of readers. You can grab tickets here.

On top of that I’ve been reading…

Joy Is My Middle Name

  • Poet: Sasha Debevec-McKenney
  • Press: Fitzcarraldo Editions (UK) / W.W. Norton & Company (US)

Throughout the book, readers are treated to wit and humour grounded in real-world situations mixed with some excellent pop culture references. This includes the poems ‘Stand-Up Routine’ and the darker ‘I’m Starting To Like This Version Of Myself, Actually’ One of my favourite pieces ‘For The Record I Literally Wish I Talked Less But I Literally Cannot Help It’ had me chuckling away at the delivery.

Excerpt from Stand-Up Routine

Vivid language brings poems from page to the mind’s eye in a series of authentic pieces. ‘Dog-sitting Poem, Chicago, January 2023’ gives a multi-sensory glimpse of city life and after reading it, I immediately picked up Brody’s lead and took him for a walk. ‘Poem After Moving Away’ is a melancholic piece outlining the effect a place can have.

As this is book is brimming with realism, the themes mirror this. Politics and history are a recurring trend throughout out the book. ‘Kaepernick’ and the powerful,  sequenced ‘On Days I Believe In The Death Penalty’ and ‘On Days I Don’t Believe In The Death Penalty’  are some of the pieces that showcase this. In ‘Poem For The Racist Tour Guide At The Franklin Pierce Manse’, American history and the truth collide in a sharp incisive poem on the 14th President.

Candid poems on relationships appear throughout the book. ‘Watching National Treasure For The First Time’ is a no-nonsense piece about an ex that is compelling. I have friends who’ve done similar things. One of my favourites, ‘Jordan Says He Loves Me So Much He’ll Delete His Instagram For Me’ is a sharp, surreal piece.

Form and style enthusiasts are well catered for throughout the collection. ‘Sestina Where Every End Word is Lyndon Johnson’ is remarkable and clever piece, and  ‘I Always Make It Nice (Real Housewives of New York Taglines) Pantoum’ is superbly inventive. The piece ‘No Fap Found Poem’ is startling and unsettling. There are multiple other styles too, including prose, micro poetry, free verse – something for everyone.

Excerpt from Sestina Where Every End Word is Lyndon Johnson

This is a collection with a wide appeal. It will strike a chord with readers who want candour and humour in their poetry and frequent displays of resilience. Poetics who value realism in their poetry will love this book. If you like experiments in form you will appreciate this book. It is fantastic.

Favourite Poem:

I’ve already mentioned ‘Jordan Says He Loves Me So Much He’ll Delete His Instagram For Me’ and ‘For The Record I Literally Wish I Talked Less But I Literally Cannot Help and I could name another dozen as I sit here writing but I’ll stick to a handful. ‘Alonederland’, ‘If You Just Wanna Say Fuck It’, ‘It’s So Idyllic Here’, ‘Sample Of Myself’ and ‘Joy Is My Middle Name’.

To read more about Sasha click here.

To buy Joy Is My Middle Name, click here.

Looking for this week’s playlist? Look no further! This week is a quirky blend:

Nina Simone – Feeling Good
The Righteous Brothers – You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling
Ludacris – Act A Fool
John Coltrane – Giant Steps
Guns N’ Roses – Civil War
Stevie Nicks – Edge of Seventeen
Johnny Cash – Hurt
Jay-Z – Dead Presidents
Mel B – Word Up
Édith Piaf – Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien
P!nk – So What
Salt-n-Pepa – Push It
U2 – I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For

Before I Go…

My poem ‘This Space Is for You’ was accepted by Full House Literary and is now on their website under the Featured Creators section and I am so happy about it.. You can listen or read here. I’m among some incredible company.


One More Thing…

The Broken Spine has an open submission window for one of their slimline anthologies. The theme is on Poetry At The Edge of Knowing and more details can be found here.


And Another…

Rachel Turney is launching her latest book Retired Wannabe Club Kid (published by Parlyaree Press) on Zoom on Friday 17th April at 6pm MST / 8pm EST. Details here.


And Finally…

You can still download a copy of Unwhispered Legacy and if you wish to, you can donate to Médecins Sans Frontières. Click here for full details.

Next Week’s Read

  • Title: Neon Manila
  • Poet: Troy Cabida

Take it easy and stay poetic, I’ll catch you next week.

Paul

Good To Me

From the sea glass
you smuggled me home
from the beach
I built a cairn
a tiny megalith
in honour of those
who in my history
have had a positive influence
some I still know now
others are silhouettes
billowing in the breeze
of my memory
smooth-edged like the shards
and when light rebounds and refracts
among the edges
glinting blue psychedelia
I find myself floating
staring upwards
lost in a soliloquy
for my soul.

Thanks for taking the time to read my poem. I have many other pieces of writing available to read on my site, plus there are links to publications featuring my work, so feel free to have a look around.

Take It Easy

Paul

From Your Brothers

There it is again
that distant gaze
powerful, it pierces faraway sandstorms
looking for the memory
of where that long lost piece of you
may be buried
and the Afghan sun can’t even burn your eyes
because you’ve stared so long, so often.

That subtle curl of lip
and your eyes wander softly
back in to the room
amongst the lads, lagers
and a few over-under dressed lasses.

There’s no sand here
and you know the rain
is always close-by
– like us –
we just hope we can help
to find you some hard-earned peace.

Thanks for taking the time to read this poem. It’s dedicated to my friends who’ve spent time fighting for the country on faraway shores.

Paul

Weekends At The Club

Quid in the jukebox
The Jam, Bowie, Queen, Elvis –
Presley – not Costello

grass-green baize
torn and twisted in places
twenty pence a shot
free on Saturday afternoon
when it’s a fiver-a-man tournament
winner takes all
no chalk for the cues though

footy on the telly screens
piracy definitely
we don’t complain
it’s the best pint in town
and they do pork scratchings

they’ve got a bloke
who does runs to the bookies
backs himself to return the betslip
in under 10 minutes
he gets a drink either way

the old gagdies tell tales
of when they worked the shipyards
or some down the pits
they shake your hands every time
theirs brittle –
scarred with hard graft
and union strikes

sometimes it gets rowdy
when the domino crowds in
accusations of cheating
to win a 2 quid pot
it soon settles down
like the best pint in town.

*******

Thanks for taking the time to read this poem, inspired by weekends and evenings spent in the social club in my hometown, which are an important part of the North, unfortunately declining in recent years. If you get the chance, pay one a visit, and sign up with them depending on their membership requirements.

Take it easy,

Paul