Artificial Cherry
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- $14.99
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
Billeh Nickerson is one of Canada's showiest poets; his work is colorful, witty, and wise, with undertones of sexy. Alternating between outlandish and poignant, Artificial Cherry heralds the return of Billeh's cheeky/sweet sensibilities. From Elvis Presley and glass eyes to phantom lovers and hockey haiku, you're never quite sure where Billeh will take you, but the outcomes are always worth the ride.
Billeh Nickerson is the author of three previous poetry collections, including Impact: The Titanic Poems, and co-editor of Seminal: The Anthology of Canada's Gay Male Poets. He teaches creative writing at Kwantlen Polytechnic University.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Nickerson (McPoems) continues in line with his previous three collections, merging the absurd and crass with lyricism and sentimentality. The collection is presented in four sections, ranging from broad ones on the body and crushes, to the very specific "Pacific Northwest Elvis Festival" which is one long poem, an itemized list inventory of quirks from the festival and "Shelagh Rogers Called Me a Slut and Other True Stories," all poems reflecting on readings in various locations, each one ridiculous in its own way. The poems include cultural references, musings on childhood and an orifice on almost every page done smartly and with reason. In "The Ghost of Blowjobs Past," Nickerson comments on Vancouver's gentrification through a very personal lens. Poems range from having in-your-face titles like "Scrotal Eclipse of the Heart" to sharp anecdotes such as an affectionate one of poet Lorna Crozier loving the fashion at a party only to realize the party's theme is dressing like her. "Irony is my bread and butter," muses the poet in this clever and insightful collection. Nickerson takes on an otherwise unclaimed Canadiana one known by writers and queers, and those who look for the absurd and poetic in everyday encounters, or who find it without looking.
