Aesthesia Balderdash

by Kim Vodicka

Aesthesia Balderdash is the first, full-length book of poems by Kim Vodicka. The poems both mock and exalt femininity and feminine "types" (valley girls, housewives, mothers, prima donnas, virgins, debutantes, celebutantes, hookers, black widows, murderesses, gender queers, drag queens, trannies, bitches of the male persuasion, etc.), French braiding sound play, pun, and sense(lessness) into siren songs that are sometimes screamed, or shouted, or sung sweetly, or whispered. These moody, PMSy, moon-maddened poems, trannies and tyrannies as they are, may be lusty, intoxicating, hypnotic, sentimental, and/or nauseating. The text is drunk most of the time on seduction and repulsion. It satirizes the American girl's desire to be an elle--a woman worthy of the belles and whistles of the French féminin suffixes (-ette, -euse, -enne). In short, Aesthesia Balderdash is "whispery, pink-packaged poésie signed by Elizabeth Arden and sealed with an adulteress."

Genres: Poetry

122 pages, Paperback

First published May 21, 2012

About the author

Kim Vodicka is the spokesbitch of a degeneration, "a softer-spoken, more genteel Lydia Lunch," according to The Houston Press. For the past decade, she has toured the country performing sound poetry in bookstores, dive bars, art galleries, cafes, diners, festivals, pinup clubs, vintage clothing shops, rooftops, backyards, and places of worship. She is the author of three full-length poetry collections—Aesthesia Balderdash (Trembling Pillow Press, 2012), Psychic Privates (White Stag Publishing, 2018), and The Elvis Machine (CLASH Books, 2020). She is also the creator of a poetic comic book series, a chapbook of sound poems on vinyl, and an illustrated book of poetry. Originally from south Louisiana, she currently lives in Memphis, TN with her beloved cat, Lula. Cruise her at kimvodicka.com.