Begin Anywhere (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

"The lines in these wise, funny, often startlingly sad poems nudge and jostle each other coltishly, and no wonder: they are the foals of Head and Heart, two mighty steeds to draw the reader's chariot out of the well-trodden way and straight to poetry's palace of gold, its realm of the blesséd."-David Kirby

Tension between the alluring promise of contemporary American suburbia and the high anxiety of a born second-guesser characterize this funny, self-deprecating, and frank portrayal of fatherhood, marriage, and personal transformation, as the speaker's definition of happiness evolves.

"The Afterlife"

It was after my 31 year-old body fell from the ledge
of the skateboard ramp and lay on its back clutching
its knee then its wrist that I convinced the white sheet
of high thin clouds I was all right.
It was after I watched one chickenhawk follow
another into a wall of pine trees that I decided
if I can't be young in the afterlife, I don't want to go.
It was after this, the black spot of sweat
on the asphalt in the shape of a torso disappeared.

Frank Giampietro earned his MFA from Vermont College and is currently in the PhD program in creative writing at Florida State University. His poems have appeared in Columbia Poetry Review, CutBank, 32 Poems, Exquisite Corpse, and Poetry International. He lives in Tallahassee with his wife and two children.

About the Author

Frank Giampietro earned his MFA from Vermont College and is currently in the PhD program in Creative Writing at Florida State University. He is the founding editor of lafovea.org, and his poems have appeared in Columbia Poetry Review, CutBank, 32 Poems, Exquisite Corpse, and Poetry International. He lives in Tallahassee with his wife and two children.

Product Details

• Paperback: 80 pages
• Publisher: Alice James Books (September 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1882295706
• ISBN-13: 978-1882295708
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #476,768 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Begin Here, June 22, 2009

By	Kara A. Candito (FL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Frank Giampietro's first book, Begin Anywhere, is a disturbing, playful and funny account of the poet's struggles with drugs, relationships, fatherhood and adulthood. Begin Anywhere achieves an integrity of self-discovery that is all too rare in a first book of poetry.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Literary Masterpiece!, December 12, 2008

By	Jason Lorenzen "lovin on poems" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I honestly do not know what more there is to say. This book contains some of the greatest poems I have ever read. Many of the poems are in reference to Frank's family but they are different than the average cliche-ridden poem, they are unique. An amazing read!