Lucktown

by Bryan Penberthy

"'I can't believe I live anywhere, ' the poet says in this remarkably dark, quirky, sad and surprising collection of poems. But he does-in Expatriatetown and Elegytown, in Endtown and Doubttown, on and on in his solitary travels. Bryan Penberthy's brilliant guiding metaphor goes past conceit to the multiple worlds within us, going past homage and question and complaint, back to a source radiant and genuine. A toast to this fine first book!" -Marianne Boruch "If there were one American poet that the work of Bryan Penberthy most esembles, it might be the late Richard Hugo; but Penberthy is a far better poet than Dick was, with a wild sense of humor and none of the oppressive self-involvement that all too often freighted Hugo's poetry. The mind behind these poems is obviously brilliant, and the personality engaging. Friends, meet Bryan Penberthy." -Jonathan Holden "These poems are a work of multiple, ongoing scenarios, which beguile the reader each time one starts up 'This could be the best place you've known.' These approaches to viewing the world-Quiettown, Pooltown, Sleeptown, and so on-seem actually human rather than simply mechanically humanistic-that is, we live through them, and that sometimes is all we can do. Possibility exists, but truth follows a pattern just beyond one's control. Free will exists, not that it ends up doing us all that much good. So we tell our stories, these stories, and get on with 'We're only as real/as the landscape that shifts around us.'" -Alberto Ríos, 2007 T. S. Eliot Prize judge "Bryan Penberthy's Lucktown is smart in its 'the dead / can't be accurately counted, their ends are miserable and useless, ' and smart too in its hope for art. . . . And smart yet again in its hopeless hope for love triumphing over the persistent failure of love. . . . Lucktown believes in luck simply because sometimes your number has to come up on the roule e wheel or people would stop gambling. Lucktown itself, though, is a winner." -Andrew Hudgins "Reading Bryan Penberthy's Lucktown is like looking through the facets of a well-cut prism to see a sometimes blurred, but rainbow-edged world come into sharp focus. He inhabits the endless towns of his imagination, which become surreal topoi for different psychic states. The poems' titles are themselves a prose lucktown, tigertown, pooltown, expatriatetown, oceantown, sleeptown, quiettown, doubttown, crazytown, smoketown, goodbyetown. The mood is indigo. All the world's randomness, melancholias, self-delusions, hopes, yearnings, woundings, desires are given voice through a book of great formal rigor and variety. Yes, Penberthy is mining Richard Hugo's boom-and-bust silver towns, but his small towns have the inconsolable dolor of his own Midwest. As Penberthy says, 'there's been some minor / talk of sending out a party // to find out what makes the world burn. / There's been this kind of talk before.' Yes, but this talk, though minor-keyed, is not minor. These poems do tell us what makes the world burn." -Donald Platt

Genres: Poetry

Paperback

First published June 1, 2007

Reviews

[Sally Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

One can easily see how this book won the National Poetry Review Book Prize. Easy.

At least he makes it look easy. His work isn't egotistical, contrived or overly clever. In fact, people who don't particularly like poetry would not only read this volume, but change their minds. His work brilliant but accessible. As you read you feel his ego completely overshadowed by gut-wrenching honesty.

The ONLY thing that put me off about this volume is the "town" theme reflected in his titles. But now that I have lived with it over a year I have caught on. I have too many chapbooks and poetry volumes. But it is his I bring out consistently. As a writer, I feel he has much to teach me. As a reader, he consistently feeds me.

I had the great luck of hearing him read and talk about poetry. What struck me is that he seems out of his time. Hearing him talk I thought of the salons of the 30's, the avid conversations that went on with Lorca and Neruda. Their ABSOLUTE PASSION for poetry, for sparking each other. Brian has that quality. He's infectious, and this volume reflects his passion.

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are looking for current poetry you can relate to, this is the book for you. A great addition to anyone's poetry book collection. A definite must read!! The poem 'A Toast' alone, is worth purchasing this fantastic book. However, thankfully, Bryan didn't stop there and you'll find poignant and relatable poetry verse after verse, page after page!!! Thank you, Bryan Penberthy!!!!

[James Grinwis · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title poem and a couple of others could be some of the best poems I've read all year. I found the 'town' trope to be quite strong, though some much better than others. What happens when there is a repeating trope, I suppose.

[Nicholas Reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very strong debut collection of poetry. Original and arresting.