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.
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.
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
Paul Writes Poems 