Howlings from the Wall
girl’s guide to giving head, by sheri-d wilson, arsenal pulp press 103-1014, homer street, vancouver bc v6b 2w9 canada, price: 14.95 pp. 163.
this book moves from humorous to heartache with ease, taking you on a plane trip, where you will fly with it, touching down, in neighbourhoods, to visit friends and lovers. sheri-d prefaces this book by saying that “in keeping with the oral tradition of poetry, this book is meant to be read aloud.” this is a statement about its relative strength and weakness and if you follow her suggestion, you will get a sense of her performance style, play on words, and our interpretation of them.
this obvious focus on performance hurts the overall book, because no one really reads aloud, unless you are a reviewer. if you have not seen sheri-d perform, the full effect of many of these poems will be lost as some of the substance of her poetry can only be conveyed through her performances. if you get a chance to see her in action, don’t miss it, as she is one of the best performance poets i’ve seen, combining her theater experience with a blend of the american spoken word style (New York).
notes from under ‘burbia, by t. thrasher, published by vinegar hill books, 381 west 6th street, san pedro ca usa 90731 price: $6.00 paperback, $15.00 hardcover.
i first heard of t. thrasher in next (the socal poetry magazine), and his name was so frequently mentioned that i decided to take a closer look at some of his work. with all the hype and name dropping, i expected a lot from this writer and wasn’t disappointed. this book is fifty pages of hard hitting street savvy poetry, as seen in the poem speed: “i know a woman/ who is wasting away/ boney/ sketetal/ doesn’t describe it/ she says/ it helps with her diet/ she’s not having her period/ hasn’t for months....saves money/ by not getting hungry/ & has plenty of time/ to do everything...”, and at times painfully self-conscious, as in once again i am in trouble: “at work/ because/ i have been drawing fish/ on the wall/ in the bathroom/ between crude etchings/ of naked women with big tits/ & disembodied, spurting cocks...”, here i feel bukowski somewhere in the background, an influence maybe? where bukowski was almost indistinguishable from his subject matter, t. thrasher on the other hand seems to belong where he’s writing from, but then he slips somewhat and the college/workshop poet crops up. this may be harsh but he’s far better at conveying the urban scene than most, and i think that time and “a little more dirt under the nails” will provide him with the necessary skills to write the kind of poetry i feel he’s striving for. i wouldn’t suggest, however, that he subject himself to the nastiness that leads to the early death of many a great poet, bukowski among them. no, thrasher has the right stuff and if this book is any indication, then i’ll be thrilled to stand in line to get his next book.
b stephen harding
Have you seen the writing on the
wall
Managing Editor:
b stephen harding, Editor: Robert Craig, Consulting Editor:
Seymour Mayne, Art Consultant: Kane Faucher
Guest Editor: David Collins
Home | Cover |
1 | 2 | 3
| 4 | 5
