Far Too Close
by Jesse Anger
Rarely is poetry successful in its aim to reinvent the past, to take the familiar and present it in a new and exciting light. And yet, this is exactly what Jesse Anger accomplishes as he expertly exhumes the bones of tradition, articulating them to his own syncopated rhythms and unflinching vision. Alternately haunting and beautiful, Far Too Close collects some previously published work alongside several never-before-seen poems, three of which were available exclusively in print from The Blasted Tree Store. Accompany Anger using the following links as he cuts beneath the skin of time and reveals what is there.
On Father's Day [exclusively in print]
Artless [exclusively in print]
Close [exclusively in print]
Praise for Jesse Anger's Far Too Close
"When we talk of lyric poetry these days, we tend to mean a kind of default—not too long, not too much of a story, not especially didactic. Jesse Anger's Far Too Close, however, reminds us why the lyric is an essential branch of poetry. Drawing on the ear and eye that make him a fine musician and photographer, Anger's lines are succinct, but they reverberate through the margins in poems that are unparaphraseable and unforgettable, with each word 'the one/facet of an onyx/struck by sun.' Whether he is discussing the natural world, a childhood memory, or restless crackheads, Anger lets the reader in very close to his subjects indeed. As one might say on New York City's 4 Train, these poems aren't loud—they're louwbre. You may not know what I mean, but I promise you that Jesse Anger does."
- Quincy R. Lehr
Far Too Close is out of print from The Blasted Tree Store.
Featured by The Blasted Tree: September 19, 2014
JESSE ANGER
Contributing Author
Other works on The Blasted Tree:
Far Too Close by Jesse Anger is a composite of Blasted Tree originals and previously published work. For information about the publication history of Far Too Close, please read the Acknowledgements (Acknowledgements & Thanks).
ISBN [Digital]: 978-0-9938364-7-3
Cover Design by Kyle Flemmer - Cover Image by Dimitri Castrique