1. Dear Lil Wayne by Lauren Ireland (Magic Helicopter Press, 2014)
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Lauren Ireland opens up her second full-length collection of poems, Dear Lil Wayne, with a short introduction of Mr. Carter's
trial and subsequent incarceration for possession of marijuana and firearms. From the start it is clear that these poems, in the form of letters to the rapper in Rikers, are more than poetry. They are failed communications of longing.
From Dear Lil Wayne:
2. You Can Make Anything Sad by Spencer Madsen (Publishing Genius, 2014)
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Brooklyn-based writer and publisher Spencer Madsen, is known for writing "real-life poetry for real-life attention spans." With lines like "A state of the union address regarding my face: Things can only get worse," You Can Make Anything Sad, despite the promise of its title, is as frequently hilarious as it is devastating.
3. The Compleat Purge by Trisha Low (Kenning Editions, 2013)
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The blurb for Trisha Low's much-hyped poetry collection reads, "Trisha Low is just another feminist, confessional writer trying to find a good way to deal with all her literary dads." But to leave it at that would be an injustice. The Compleat Purge revolves around girlishness, sex, narcissism, and nihilism but Low gives these time-worn topics a fresh, irreverent spin.
Lauren Ireland opens up her second full-length collection of poems, Dear Lil Wayne, with a short introduction of Mr. Carter's
trial and subsequent incarceration for possession of marijuana and firearms. From the start it is clear that these poems, in the form of letters to the rapper in Rikers, are more than poetry. They are failed communications of longing.From Dear Lil Wayne:
Dear Lil Wayne,
Today I woke up hating poetry. Have you seen what those bitches are up to? I mean, have you read my chapbook? I just want to be famous for being famous. I live in Brooklyn. I know a lot of people. I mean a lot of people.
2. You Can Make Anything Sad by Spencer Madsen (Publishing Genius, 2014)
Brooklyn-based writer and publisher Spencer Madsen, is known for writing "real-life poetry for real-life attention spans." With lines like "A state of the union address regarding my face: Things can only get worse," You Can Make Anything Sad, despite the promise of its title, is as frequently hilarious as it is devastating.3. The Compleat Purge by Trisha Low (Kenning Editions, 2013)
The blurb for Trisha Low's much-hyped poetry collection reads, "Trisha Low is just another feminist, confessional writer trying to find a good way to deal with all her literary dads." But to leave it at that would be an injustice. The Compleat Purge revolves around girlishness, sex, narcissism, and nihilism but Low gives these time-worn topics a fresh, irreverent spin. 4. No, Wait. Yep. I Definitely Still Hate Myself. by Robert Fitterman (Ugly Ducking Presse, 2014)
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Rob Fitterman's new book of poems constructs its own identity through borrowed texts, song lyrics, and fragments of digital culture. As a whole, the effect of reading No, Wait. Yep. I Definitely Still Hate Myself. is like scrolling through the Tumblr of the world's most depressed teen.
From No, Wait. Yep. I Definitely Still Hate Myself:
5. Scarecrone by Melissa Broder (Publishing Genius, 2014)
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In her third book-length collection, Melissa Broder writes, "And you have to fill up cracks with candy
/ If I am not allowed candy I use my body
/
If I am not allowed my body I use the internet
/ Television is going to deliver me from the internet
/ The angels pray over my screens
/
My angels are probably lonely
/ Also disillusioned with me." Lushly dark and infused with references to black magic, Broder's work often feels less like a book and more like a mystical text.
Rob Fitterman's new book of poems constructs its own identity through borrowed texts, song lyrics, and fragments of digital culture. As a whole, the effect of reading No, Wait. Yep. I Definitely Still Hate Myself. is like scrolling through the Tumblr of the world's most depressed teen.From No, Wait. Yep. I Definitely Still Hate Myself:
I'll just start: no matter what I do I neverseem to be satisfied,The world spins around me and I feel likeI'm looking in from outside.I go get a donut, I sit in my favorite partof the park, but that's notThe point: the point is that I feel sociallyawkward and seem to haveTrouble making friends, which makes me verysad and lonely indeed.I am way too sensitive and always feel likeno one likes me.I don't know what to do -- I'm just super tiredof feeling this way.
5. Scarecrone by Melissa Broder (Publishing Genius, 2014)
In her third book-length collection, Melissa Broder writes, "And you have to fill up cracks with candy
/ If I am not allowed candy I use my body
/
If I am not allowed my body I use the internet
/ Television is going to deliver me from the internet
/ The angels pray over my screens
/
My angels are probably lonely
/ Also disillusioned with me." Lushly dark and infused with references to black magic, Broder's work often feels less like a book and more like a mystical text.
