Spotlight on:

Published:  1996
Genre:  Poetry

Info:  The majority of the poems in this book originated from Poemfone, a project that had its beginnings in the late 60s. By calling (212)631-4234, one could hear a poem read by its author. The listener could then leave a comment/message afterwards. The principle was, simply, to provide a new creative medium for the poets and a new escape for patrons of the arts. It is likely that I will have patrons of the arts now screaming that the Arts are not an escape. To you, I say neener-neener-neener.

Synopsis:  My favorite part of the book was actually a quote that prefaced the entire collection of poems: " 'Reality' is the only word in the language that should always be used in quotes." This is totally my new motto. Anyway, the poems are grouped together by author. Twenty-six authors are represented. Topics range from romance to sexual deviation (no offense to those "deviant" out there) and from drug use to social commentary.

Analysis:  I would like to say, first off, the photos of the poets are really great! This next part is kind of long, so you might want to go get a snack or something. Since there are many writers represented in this work, I'm going to try and say something about the ones whose poetry interested me the most. I noticed that Penny Arcade (not her real name) has a style and rhythm that is very similar to some of my own poetry. I loved the look and the tongue-play of Tish Benson's poems. Nicole Blackman's poem "You Will" was one that I was going to hate--until I got to the end. David Cameron's "Hello all you dialectical" contained biting social commentary on the American culture within seeming randomness. His "Verbatim: Myrna Tinoco" raised a good question--who does play catch with a rock? Todd Colby had some really cool poems; his "Zoom" was very surreal. The "Cake" poem is SO AWESOME! Also, his "Twenty Songs for my Unborn Fifth Child" was basically beauty interspersed with hilarity. (I have been told that my concept of beauty does not jive with others'. Nor my concept of hilarity.) Okay. M. Doughty had some very different poetry, "The Bug Wrangler" with its very neat final image and "Other Fish" with an agonizing sense of detachment and finality. They were both incredibly striking. Have you ever wondered what Cookie Monster is up to now? Better read Doughty's "Cookie Monster" poem. When I read Kathy Ebel's "Hardcore," I experienced a disturbing feeling of recognization from the imagery. Anne Elliott had some interesting poems; her "something turned over" was troubling. "Worm Christ" was a very effective metaphor, and I really liked "Trojan Love Poems" due to the catchy rhythm and the fact that my name (Helen) is in it. Onwards! I could really relate to Janice Erlbaum's "Love Letter to His Dick," though not exactly through personal experience. She conveyed the emotions really well. When I read Allen Ginsberg's "Please Master," I realized that the "Darf ich" poem I'd submitted to DHS's Literary Magazine was inherently very Dom/Sub. Now, John S. Hall's "The Evil Children" was very cool, as was his "I'm Sorry." Then, Bob Holman's "Principal Reason" and "Good morning" are good examples of economy of description. They are poems pared down to their very skeleton, reduced to the most essential of words. I've got to learn how to do that. Hal Sirowitz' "No More Birthdays" brought back sweet memories of my old pink umbrella. I wonder what happened to that old thing? I was interested in Sparrow's "My Sexuality," which was a little jarring due to its bestial nature. His poem "Turtle" was very sweet (and for me, kind of a tear-jerker). Sparrow had a few more very entertaining poems, "Spelling" and "Possible Middle Names of Bill Gates." I can totally imagine Gates' middle name being Antigone. Lastly, his poem "My Father was a Snowman, but He Melted" was brilliant, in my opinion. I'm going to mention one last work: Edwin Torres' "Power Round," a short poem that should be read as a group. It was kind of a neat concept!