Extreme Positions: ...the Soft-Core Industry Exposed [Paperback]

Stephen Bett (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 31, 2009

Stephen Bett's new book of poetry, Extreme Positions, is based on a hilarious soft-porn spoof. Each poem begins with a simple blank-face, stark naked line drawing of boy & girl next door figures in utterly physically impossible sexual positions Accompanying the text are witty cultural or literary allusions, a calorie burn count for him her equipment required (deodorant, etc.), cautions & hazards (such as requiring a lawyer or chiropractor). In this volume, Bett is riffing on language itself. These humorous, self-referential poems are tied to the langue, the argot, not just comic satire. There s an effort at a more serious humour underlying cultural and philosophical issues that seem to plague us in our increasingly vapid monoculture.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Spent quite some time going through Stephen Bett s work. Was impressed by the consistency of voice & tone. Read quite a few out loud to catch his modality. Lots of quick skips and shifts you don t catch if you read too quick. Reminded me of Olson s comment on Pound, how his mind moves like light on water. --Ken Cathers, poet

Keep going with this sequence. The soft-core-help-books on sex really deserve to be skewered. I like reading mocking, dismissive, and allusive humour, especially when it shows up in your poems. Always will. --John Tyndall, poet, critic

I m already a big fan of your poems, so these ones only corroborate that fact. You have great energy and are full of life and, my god, you sure know how to write....Great fun. I really like the poetry -- immensely! I know if Joel Oppenheimer were alive he would love your new book of poems. These are just the kind of poems he championed. All the poems are very good in this collection, but some are sensational, really, and I marvel at their execution and delivery, they are so full of jazz and what comes after jazz, whatever that is. ...The book is a seamless entity, joined by these parts (the poems), telling the story of a man in the beginnings of the new century. They are pleasing to the ear, pleasing to hear, they look good on the page, they are so subtley crafted. ...Bravo! I m still reading your books and still liking reading them, great stuff, in fact. --Michael Stephens, poet, novelist, critic, award winning author

About the Author

Stephen Bett has published nine books of poetry including: Extreme Positions (Spuyten Duyvil Books, NYC, 2009), Sass n Pass (Ekstasis Editions, 2008); Three Women (Ekstasis Editions, 2006); Nota Bene Poems: A Journey (Ekstasis Editions, 2005); Trader Poets (Frog Hollow Press, 2003); High-Maintenance (Ekstasis Editions, 2003); High Design Refit (Greenboathouse Books, 2002); Cruise Control (Ekstasis Editions, 1996); Lucy Kent and other poems (Longspoon Press, 1983).His work has also appeared in over 100 journals in Canada, the U.S., England, Australia, and Finland, as well as in two anthologies, and on radio. He is a member of the English Department at Langara College in Vancouver.

Product Details

• Paperback: 94 pages
• Publisher: Meeting Eyes Bindery (March 31, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0923389784
• ISBN-13: 978-0923389789
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,301,804 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.