Poetry. Asian American Studies. Gay and Lesbian Studies. Timothy Liu is a gifted poet who has received a Norma Farber First Boom Award in 1992 for his first book VOX ANGELICA. His subsequent books of poems, BURNT OFFERINGS and SAY GOODNIGHT, were both finalists for the Lambda Literary Award. His is also the editor of WORD OF MOUTH: AN ANTHOLOGY OF GAY AMERICAN POETRY. Liu is a frequent contributor to Art Papers, New Art Examiner, and Publishers Weekly. "Liu is particularly skilled in a postmodern, deadpan delivery of the toughest news about the interconnections between flesh and spirit, longing and desire"- Choice.
| |||||||||||||||
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Last year saw the publication of Word of Mouth, an anthology of gay male poets edited by Liu, perhaps most notable for its inclusion of experimentalists too often left out of "mainstream" queer collections. His interest in a less traditional approach to form is reflected in his own fourth book, which finds him trying out new means by which to explore his now familiar subjects: death, religion, pop culture and, especially, sex. Those who read him for the latter won't be disappointed his rapport with Eros is as dark ("Just as my kiss/ once sealed the tomb of his empty mouth"), dirty ("in a piss-stained booth while a stranger/ hammers me with his hips") and bleak "Seldom glory. Mostly hole." as ever. But this time his methods seem more random, more disjointed. Sentence fragments pile up like the cultural detritus he incorporates (from the Energizer bunny to "a nail from the True Cross") or, as he puts it, "All that miniscule/ ephemera we called the war.". His work more closely resembles that of contemporaries Reginald Shepherd and Christopher Davis, with titles like "Middle-Class Realia as Iconographic Vanitas" suggesting a penchant for the baroque. Liu's uncompromising voice may be an acquired taste, but this collection, with its relentless "verbal frottage suffused/ with hostile glamour," confirms it's as strong as ever. (June)Forecast:: Liu's recent move from Copper Canyon (publisher of his last two collections, Burnt Offerings and Say Goodnight) to the smaller, lower budget Talisman House could mean lower sales. But Liu's poems appear regularly in myriad journals, and his solid readership among poetry and gay literature fans will seek this one out.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Coup de Grace
Bodies made solid by weights succumb
to illness. Years of focused practice
lost in that afternoon of neglect.
What we are felt after the fact--
walls with his name graffitied on them,
late night actors who could`ve been
his double. Dolls left in a drawer
unopened for years like those boxes
of books in the attic that became
our inheritance. The things loved least
loved at last. Weathervanes renewed
by wind. But the former tenants are gone.
Our words a bridge. Just as my kiss
once sealed the tomb of his empty mouth.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Finding manifestations of holiness in earthly things,
By Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Hard Evidence (Paperback)
Written by Timothy Liu, editor of "Word of Mouth: An Anthology of Gay American Poetry", Hard Evidence is a unique and original collection of free-form verse concerning such matters as finding manifestations of holiness in earthly things, gay sexuality, and the cruel legacy of the virus that causes AIDS. Hard evidence is eye-opening, thought-provoking poetry that flows from page to page, almost as if all part of one grand poem. Binoculars left in the backseat/of your car. Tread marks leading/to a flattened toad with flies/crawling over it. Those pagodas/in the distance somehow made/a difference - joss sticks stuck/in giant urns burnishing in the air.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
