Wolf Notes: Read ‘Em and Weep... Or Not. But Read These Books!

I’m doing my very first book review. Well, I’m doing two actually. Don’t know why I’ve never done a review for pretty much anything before (I probably just don’t trust my own taste). But I keep coming across all these people’s chapbooks, and mostly find out about them from reviews. So to help promote my two good poet buds, I decided to speak about what I feel regarding their shit.

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Let’s talk nEonsense. Fuck yeah nEonsense. This was a ridiculously cool book. Why? To start, originality, the creativity, the structure and colors. Presentation wise, this book is rad. Flip through a poetry section somewhere, and you won’t find a book like this. It looks like it belongs in a craft section or art section or some shit like that.

You feel adventurous? Like taking a risk? Like getting down and glittery? Hold one of these books.

Why am I emphasizing the physical aspect instead of what’s written? Because nEonsense is very physical; it’s an in-your-face book that takes poetry to a whole new level. It’s beyond literature, beyond poetry, beyond words; it’s a straight up piece of art that is both wonderful to read and to look at.

Let me explain that. Neon Glittery’s writings always force me to read not just each word, but each character carefully. Sometimes it comes across as coded, and alien (and that might just be me, I ain’t too bright), but I feel that’s awesome. Sometimes emotions, experiences, shit like that is coded, and is alien. They can be indescribable, and this is that beyond thing I’m talking about. The structure of her words and the characters themselves are very visual, and in order to take anything from the reading careful attention is required. You have to look both at and beyond the words.

My favorite overall piece is sub rosa. Towards the second half, Neon emphasizes spacing between the letters of certain words, like:

a c r o s s

And:

It drew me in, made me grin, like “fuck that’s cool”. Gave me the felling like I was being dragged across, and down.

Most of her pieces are unique, other-worldly, and seem to focus on embracing this strangeness. Strewn in are bits that seem to hint towards a sort of nostalgia, and recollection of certain experiences and memories. Some are written clearly, and then some seem to set ablaze in neon fashion, like a blast of emotion occurred while writing.

If you enjoy the unique, read nEonsense. If you like challenging pieces, read nEonsense. If you are neonsensical, then nEonsense will make sense.

if allergic to glitter, handle with care

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I also had the fortune to read Jacob Steinberg’s new chapbook, This isn’t about Jon Ross, it’s about art. This is another cool work. In it, over a series of poems, Jacob deals with an unrequited crush, and eventually moves on.

The language is simple, but conveys some universal shit. Like getting over people, dealing with rejection and disappointment, and ultimately creating something out of it. Sort of like a narrative, we witness Jacob worrying a bit over missed texts, until this sort of neglect becomes longer, and soon he is obsessing over Ross, until eventually he has to move on. I like that. Because it’s honest. The language is honest, and the emotions are honest. This isn’t a book that’s going to blow your mind with new and deep shit. It’s a book that you’re going to relate to, and understand what Jacob’s feeling, and witness what can be gained out of loss (which I feel, in Jacob’s case, is this book; hence the title).

I feel rejection isn’t easy for anyone, and we all tend to obsess over it, even if we hide it. I’m glad this book conveys that. Especially with the internet, people are more and more obsessed with who’s looking at whom, ya know? Whenever Jacob mentions checking his trackers, I know I’ve done that. Still do. We all do. And most of the time, we’re checking up to see if ex’s, crushes, people we want to be paying attention to us, are. This sort of stuff really presents what it’s like to be of this generation and habits we’ve formed through social networking shit.

My favorite poem has to be “Does Dropping Falafel Balls Into Scorching Hot Oil Count As Disintegrating All My Feelings For You?” It’s one of the last pieces, and if Jon Ross is a type of narrative, then this is the climax. Jacob imagines that every falafel ball he drops into the fryer is a word texted to him from Ross, signifying the process of letting go of the relationships that we hold onto after they are gone. It’s a cool analogy, and little parts of it made me smile.

Side note: Some of these poems were originally Spanish, and translated over. I dunno if that takes away anything, but Jacob himself translated them so I am assuming he conveyed the same sort of emotion in English from Spanish.

Just broke up with somebody? Get Jon Ross. You haven’t? Well, you probably will so get this book. Anyone that has wrestled with the same things as Jacob should give Jon Ross a chance.