The Bird Hoverer [Paperback]

Aaron Belz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 15, 2007

"The impressive, loopy poems in Aaron Belz's first full-length collection are touched by a raw grace of mind and nimble phrasing. The poems stage deft quarrels with the same pop complacencies that inspire them, as in 'Hidden Microphones,' where the speaker's enthusiasm about surveillance culture overwhelms him and he can't help but exclaim, 'I am all about hidden microphones.' Readers will find themselves rattled, delightfully, as Belz juggles the gods of the past with the gods of celebrity culture—always wired to an ethics of spectacle that resists becoming 'all about hidden microphones.'" —Tony Trigilio, Boston Review
 
"Aaron Belz is out to get you. Get you thinking, get you laughing, get you good. The poems in his first full-fledged collection, The Bird Hoverer, will get to you, too. In other words, they're smart and funny, and also big-hearted." —Marc Kipniss, Jacket
 
"Filled with wild metaphors and imaginative premises, this book turns tradition on its head while parodying Walt Whitman, Ben Affleck, and just about everyone else who crosses this inventive poet's path... Five stars." —Kristina Marie Darling, Rattle

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

"Aaron Belz is a gravely hilarious poet. The poems from The Bird Hoverer are part Discovery Channel, part History Channel, part E!—his ferocious intelligence, his love of glitz, and his wry take on relationships (both human and animal) are irresistible. Belz's voice is bold, wise, inimitable." —Denise Duhamel
 
"The poems in The Bird Hoverer are by turns melancholic and comic, performing the paradoxes and pratfalls to which we are all subject. Out of boredom and distraction, Belz conjures wild animals, celebrities, and sinister conspiracies, revealing the roots of our fictive lives." —Devin Johnston
 
"Just what American poetry needs: lots of fresh poems that are weirdly conventional one minute, satisfyingly strange the next. On the surface this violent assault on complacency is playfully serious, but deep down, you notice that the surfaces of these gentle poems glint and catch the light as they turn over and over, patiently waiting for your attention." —John Tranter

About the Author

Aaron Belz is also the author of Lovely, Raspberry (Persea, 2010). He teaches English at Providence Christian College in Pasadena, California.

Product Details

• Paperback: 85 pages
• Publisher: BlazeVOX Books (March 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1934289272
• ISBN-13: 978-1934289273
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,940,267 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Aaron Belz (born September 27, 1971) is an American poet whose work is most often associated with New York School poetics.

He graduated from Covenant College (1993), from New York University with a Master's in Creative Writing (1995), and from Saint Louis University with a Ph.D. in English (2007).

He has taught English and Creative Writing at Fontbonne University, Saint Louis University, and Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. He teaches at Providence Christian College.

His writing has appeared in Cardus, Wired, Books & Culture, First Things, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Exquisite Corpse, Mudfish, Gulf Coast, RealPoetik, The Washington Post, canwehaveourballback.com, elimae, Fence, Fine Madness, Snow Monkey and Pierogi Press.

Beginning in 2008 he has also appeared in comedy venues such as the Tomorrow Show (Steve Allen Theater), Comedy Meltdown, the New Orleans Comedy Arts Festival, and Comedy on Parade, performing with Ron Lynch, John C. Reilly, Earl Okin, Kate Micucci, Charlyne Yi, Bill Chott, Frank Conniff, and other professional entertainers.

Dr. Belz and his wife Rebecca have three children.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rattled, Delightfully, October 12, 2007

By 

Monique Brideau - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Bird Hoverer (Paperback)

I agree! Aaron Belz is a wonderful, wonderful poet. You must read this book and go to a reading if he's in your area. The reading I attended was very memorable. He delighted the entire audience with his unique wit- we were hooked! Seriously, I've never experienced anything quite like it. We were on the edge of our seats, often bent over laughing, wondering what he was going to come out with next. I'm so excited to see what he has in store for us!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Aaron Belz, September 20, 2007

By 

J. Caines (Bloodsport, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Bird Hoverer (Paperback)

This guy is a superstar. Do us all a favor and buy the book. And if he is coming to your town, go hear him read. The readings are even better than the book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Poet and a Funny Guy, May 21, 2010

By 

Tim Jewell (Inland Empire) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Bird Hoverer (Paperback)

Aaron Belz is a heartily observant poet and has a great sense of humor in writing and in reality. I had the honor of meeting him when I visited my high school Creative Writing class (he teaches at a university that is closely affiliated with my high school) and he is fun to listen to, whether he is reading his own work or sharing his opinions about literature and life. His poetry is witty and optimistically dry; though his poems bear a light cynicism and piercing gaze critical of society and language, but he ultimately paints an uplifting portrait of his observations. My favorite poem in his new collection "Lovely, Raspberry", which he read and explained (and whose name I cannot recall), is about the connotations of perfectly innocent phrases that adopt significance through reinterpretation by subcultures who influence the mass media.

If you can, go to a reading, because his work takes on a new meaning with his calm and concise delivery. Buy this collection, which personally influenced me to perceive the place of poetry in the modern world in a different way, and be sure to buy "Lovely, Raspberry" when it comes out!