Thursday, April 23, 2009

i want to live in poemland


I spent a couple hours today reading Chelsey Minnis's Poemland. The reasons I love Chelsey Minnis are sort of endless. Here are some:


1. I can read her books straight through; I can fly through her books; usually I make it to page 5 of anyone's poems and feel tired and like I need to take a break or enter a coma. But I can eat Chelsey's poems one after another. They are light like rice cakes. They are delicious like rice cakes aren't. You do not feel heavy after eating 126 of them.


2. She has planned and bought the most awesome "death outfit" ever: "White boots, tan suit, orange shirt and pink necktie." She should probably design a line of death outfits. People's death outfits are usually so bland and awful.

3. She can write so accurately about how awful it is to write things. "Poetry is like waking up drunk in a lemon yellow room," or "If you want to be a poem-writer then I don't know why...It hurts like a puff sleeve dress on a child prostitute," or "With my poetry I want to barricade myself from other people's poetry..." I hate when writers write about writing, unless they are Chelsey.

4. "I am so drunk I'm seeing toy bats"

9 comments:

Kathryn said...

this is a really good review.

Anonymous said...

It is indeed. I don't know why chelsey minnis hasn't designed a death outfit for me yet. I look good in yellow, chelsey. And sometimes purple.

Megan said...

thank you - i plumbed the depths of her writing, as i always strive to do!

Megan said...

kathy, by the way, we are moving in august.

Kathryn said...

oh lordy!

did you get a job? no one will ever hire me anywhere ever

Anonymous said...

i don't like your negativity, young lady. everybody will hire you everywhere always.

Kathryn said...

you are totally right. i should rephrase: there are no jobs anywhere ever.

ryan said...

who do i need to have sex with around here in order to have sex with around here

Della Watson said...

i love this book too.

megan, you are moving??