The Real Tortured Poets Department
OK so like yes: I am a Swiftie. Last year I went to LA Night 5 of the Eras Tour and yes, it was a spiritual experience. I grew up with Taylor Swift—yes, I’ve been listening since Debut. I reluctantly love Blondie; I’ve overplayed her but I still can’t get enough. I think she deserves a lot of criticism, but I’m still a fan.
All the same, I think it’s super funny and maybe a little misguided that Ms. Swift has proclaimed herself Chairman of the Tortured Poets Department. Has she read a single contemporary poetry collection? Seriously like…how tortured can she really be? She’s a billionaire.
I guess I would consider myself a bit of a tortured poet (see: This Rambling Heart) but even I know that I’ve got nothing on some (many) of the poets whose collections I’ve read. I was talking to one of my coworkers recently and he was like, “If Rupi Kaur can do it, you can do it.”
Which: fair (also, I liked Rupi Kaur when I was like 16).
But there are so many masterpiece collections out there. I want to highlight some of them:
GHOST OF by Diana Khoi Nguyen
When it comes to tortured poets, Nguyen is the most tortured out there. I read this shortly after my dad passed away specifically because it deals primarily with Nguyen’s grief after the suicide of her brother. In Ghost Of, Nguyen poeticizes grief like nobody’s business. Nobody is doing it like Nguyen.
ROOT FRACTURES by Diana Khoi Nguyen
In Root Fractures, Nguyen continues the grief mythos she started in Ghost Of. She really builds on the poems in her first collection and there are some truly stunning revelations in this second collection. I love how Nguyen plays with space and images to tell a story in verse.
THE EASY BODY by Tatiana Luboviski-Acosta
Last year, I had the privilege of hearing Luboviski-Acosta read at the Monterey Poetry Festival. It was probably a more spiritual experience than watching Taylor Swift perform. There is little in life more satiating than hearing good poetry read aloud. I was able to purchase a copy of The Easy Body from Luboviski-Acosta at the reading, and I devoured it the next day. From the incendiary opening lines about the end of the world, I was absolutely hooked.
SOMETHING BRIGHT, THEN HOLES by Maggie Nelson
I got this book for $5 from the Counterpoint/Soft Skull table at the Bay Area Book Festival in 2019, which was totally a steal because this is a no-skip masterpiece. Far from being Nelson’s most popular work, I still think this is her best, and I’ve read all of her poetry collections (including Bluets, IDK if that counts). I even named a fanfiction after the titular poem in this collection, which might be the highest honor available to be bestowed upon a poet.
DEAR ANIMAL, by MK Chavez
I also had the pleasure of hearing MK Chavez read at the Bay Area Book Festival in 2019. I read both of her poetry collections shortly afterwards, and I remember Dear Animal, being my favorite of the two she had out then. I remember being enthralled by the gritty feminist poetry that Chavez crafts here, and excited to be living in the Bay Area at the same time that Chavez was creating in the Bay Area.
ANYBODY by Ari Banias
Yet another tortured poet whose readings I’ve been privileged to attend! I think I’ve seen Ari Banias twice—once in 2018 and again in 2019. I love how he questions the body in his work. These narrative-like poems were a delight to read. I enjoyed his second collection as well, but not quite as much.
EYE LEVEL by Jenny Xie
“But I’m stunned to love aloneness,” writes Xie in Eye Level. Who else was going to say that if not her? When I started designing the cover for This Rambling Heart, I originally based the cover off Eye Level. That cover was eventually scrapped, but Eye Level really does have a great cover. The poems, obviously, are great as well. I thought the verse was so contained and concise, but still highlightable and would probably sound great read aloud.
Why does anyone write poetry? All poets are probably tortured poets. Taylor Swift is probably a tortured poet. But is she really deserving of the title “Chairman of the Tortured Poets Department”? She should read some of these collections, and reconsider…
In news related to tortured poetry, my book This Rambling Heart has been released to the world a little earlier than planned. I have shipped out all preorders, and digital copies are now available here. You can still purchase a physical copy here. I’ll be shipping out orders on Saturdays for the foreseeable future due to post office hours coinciding with my day job hours.
We’ll be having a little book launch party on Saturday March 2 at Old Capitol Books in Monterey at 7:30 p.m., featuring poetry read by myself, Jeff Erwin, Brian Sheffield, and Leslie Haynes Little. Come by if you are local!
Additionally, I will be reading at the Monterey Poetry Festival, also at Old Capitol Books, on April 17 at 7 p.m. I’ll have physical copies of This Rambling Heart at both events!
Stay tortured, everyone!
