Unpractical Thinking offers a poetic voice that seeks engagement with the world in plainspoken language, yet opens a door to the complications and contradictions of our current moment. There is irony, occasionally humor, and often metaphysical astonishment that consistently unfold in the tension between form and content, syntax and stanza. The author’s Jewish identity features strongly in many of the poems. He grew up as a first-generation American in the South. He came to see early on how Jews take on the role of exotic other, particularly when planted deep in the Bible Belt. Much of the noteworthy literature of the previous century issues from the general vicinity of the hyphen that separates “Jewish” from “American.” This dividedness remains crucial, not just to Jews, but to all ethnicities, faiths, and clans that wish to claim their just portion of the American character. It’s a topic as worth discussing through poetry as through any literary form, and, through poetry, more likely to give pleasure in the process.
Poetry
Unpractical Thinking
- From the Publisher
September 1, 2019
Discussion Questions
Jewish literature inspires, enriches, and educates the community.
Help support the Jewish Book Council.