17 March 2011

More Radiant Signal: Juliana Leslie

Yesterday, I finished up my first reading of Juliana Leslie's More Radiant Signal, which Letter Machine Editions recently released. This collection, for my money, is the most compelling book from this relatively new press (although, all their collections so far have been solid). I'll probably write a more proper review of More Radiant in the future, but, before I do, I'd like to tout this book as a "must buy," if nothing else. One of my favorite selections, which can also be found in its entirety at Web Conjunctions, is "Softer More Radiant Signal." Specifically, the lines in the poem that state: "tell me we need more / of what happens to bodies when bodies decide / to say what they want more of / More love in the vernacular / for example / More words like / longing, appetite, hunger." To my mind, this poem articulates the books central concern: the intersection of the corporeal and the semiotic. Far from a series of post-structural, disembodied signifiers, the poems within interrogate the complex relationship between the word and the flesh, the flesh and the word.

2 comments:

  1. 2 things: 1) Would hardcore Kemp fanatics enjoy this? and 2) Have you read Matuk's book yet? (I have not, but have been wanting to.)

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  2. 1) Hardcore Kemp fans know good literature, as they are often referred to by pundits as "the most-intellectual of sports fans," 2) I'll be reading Matuk's book over Spring Breakout 2011, 3) why do you refuse to post anything on this blog?

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