Ground Zero: A Collection of Chicago Poems
Inception and implosion, Chicago’s grit and grandiosity all come together in the finite poetic power of the original Slam igniter, renowned poet Marc Kelly Smith and his retrospect denotation, Ground Zero. 

A cultural, community, and adversarial figure, Smith has challenged the status quo and raised new questions about an environment in a state of continuous calamity. Smith’s power and influence have inspired celebrated figures who cut their teeth on both the stage and the page under his watchful eye—always speaking in the traditions of Carl Sandburg and Gwendolyn Brooks. Ground Zero challenges but pays homage to the thousand underbellies of Chicago with Smith’s wicked, cigarette-in-the-beer language: “I ain’t diggin’ no concrete coffin, / No backyard mausoleum / To keep me a pickle sweet aplenty / Plied with sardines and pork sausage wieners / Livin’ out the chance that some bubble-flesh victim / Will come puckered up and scabby lipped / To kiss me in the name of a new mankind.”

Ground Zero leaves no doubt. The Slampapi / instigator / visionary / you-may-love-me-or-hate-me-but-my-history-will-always-be-chiseled-in-everything-the-poetry-world-does-next collects a survey of his land and his experience, no matter how beautiful or flawed. This book lets the landmines of imagery and Chicago’s slow and uneasy drawl showcase one of our most original voices.

1136699355
Ground Zero: A Collection of Chicago Poems
Inception and implosion, Chicago’s grit and grandiosity all come together in the finite poetic power of the original Slam igniter, renowned poet Marc Kelly Smith and his retrospect denotation, Ground Zero. 

A cultural, community, and adversarial figure, Smith has challenged the status quo and raised new questions about an environment in a state of continuous calamity. Smith’s power and influence have inspired celebrated figures who cut their teeth on both the stage and the page under his watchful eye—always speaking in the traditions of Carl Sandburg and Gwendolyn Brooks. Ground Zero challenges but pays homage to the thousand underbellies of Chicago with Smith’s wicked, cigarette-in-the-beer language: “I ain’t diggin’ no concrete coffin, / No backyard mausoleum / To keep me a pickle sweet aplenty / Plied with sardines and pork sausage wieners / Livin’ out the chance that some bubble-flesh victim / Will come puckered up and scabby lipped / To kiss me in the name of a new mankind.”

Ground Zero leaves no doubt. The Slampapi / instigator / visionary / you-may-love-me-or-hate-me-but-my-history-will-always-be-chiseled-in-everything-the-poetry-world-does-next collects a survey of his land and his experience, no matter how beautiful or flawed. This book lets the landmines of imagery and Chicago’s slow and uneasy drawl showcase one of our most original voices.

20.0 In Stock
Ground Zero: A Collection of Chicago Poems

Ground Zero: A Collection of Chicago Poems

Ground Zero: A Collection of Chicago Poems

Ground Zero: A Collection of Chicago Poems

Overview

Inception and implosion, Chicago’s grit and grandiosity all come together in the finite poetic power of the original Slam igniter, renowned poet Marc Kelly Smith and his retrospect denotation, Ground Zero. 

A cultural, community, and adversarial figure, Smith has challenged the status quo and raised new questions about an environment in a state of continuous calamity. Smith’s power and influence have inspired celebrated figures who cut their teeth on both the stage and the page under his watchful eye—always speaking in the traditions of Carl Sandburg and Gwendolyn Brooks. Ground Zero challenges but pays homage to the thousand underbellies of Chicago with Smith’s wicked, cigarette-in-the-beer language: “I ain’t diggin’ no concrete coffin, / No backyard mausoleum / To keep me a pickle sweet aplenty / Plied with sardines and pork sausage wieners / Livin’ out the chance that some bubble-flesh victim / Will come puckered up and scabby lipped / To kiss me in the name of a new mankind.”

Ground Zero leaves no doubt. The Slampapi / instigator / visionary / you-may-love-me-or-hate-me-but-my-history-will-always-be-chiseled-in-everything-the-poetry-world-does-next collects a survey of his land and his experience, no matter how beautiful or flawed. This book lets the landmines of imagery and Chicago’s slow and uneasy drawl showcase one of our most original voices.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780810143081
Publisher: Northwestern University Press
Publication date: 10/15/2020
Pages: 104
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

MARC KELLY SMITH is the creator and founder of the international slam poetry movement, for which he received the nickname Slampapi. Smith hosts the legendary Uptown Poetry Slam at Chicago’s Green Mill Jazz Lounge and has performed all over the world. Among other achievements, Smith teamed with Mark Eleveld to create The Spoken Word Revolution: Slam, Hip-Hop, and the Poetry of a New Generation and The Spoken Word Revolution Redux, two best-selling book/CD anthologies of spoken-word artists and performance poets. He currently guides and directs One Poetic Voice, an innovative translation via performance poetry troupe.

MARK ELEVELD has been reviewing for Booklist since 2004. He is the editor of The Spoken Word Revolution and The Spoken Word Revolution Redux.

Table of Contents

Editor's Introduction vii

The Second Throat: Poetry Slam Patricia Smith ix

Uptown Monologue 3

No Exit Sunday 6

Nobody's Here 8

Ground Zero 10

Asshole on His Cell Phone Shouting 13

Winter Café 16

Face on the Floor 18

The Sign Rattled. It Had All These Buttons of Glass 19

Pyromaniac 21

Ballpark Poem 23

Conga Beat 27

Bradley Morton 29

Cockren 31

My Father's Coat 38

Corners 40

Breakfast 43

Stuttering Light 45

The Rush Street Shuffle 47

Rosie 52

Moon Moan 56

Impudence 57

Arnold the Jazz Prophet 60

Turning Ten 62

Small Talk 64

Ameritech 68

Deep-Dish Chicago 70

IT the Problem 72

IT the Solution 75

Something 77

From the B&N Reads Blog
Page 1 of

Related Subjects

Poetry
American Poetry
Other American Poetry
American poetry
Poetry
American Poetry
Other American Poetry
American poetry

Customer Reviews