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25 Love Poems for the NSA
Warning:
Every poem in this book has one or more words in it that have been taken from the NSA’s watch list.
A full list of the words appears at the back of this book.
By transmitting this book via email or other means, you are liable to be tracked by the NSA as a potential terrorist threat.
This book is dedicated to how ridiculous that is.
Every poem in this book has one or more words in it that have been taken from the NSA’s watch list.
A full list of the words appears at the back of this book.
By transmitting this book via email or other means, you are liable to be tracked by the NSA as a potential terrorist threat.
This book is dedicated to how ridiculous that is.
35 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 9, 2013
19 people are currently reading
1517 people want to read
About the author
Iain S. Thomas
21 books1,446 followers"Iain S. Thomas is the #1 bestselling author of I Wrote This For You and Intentional Dissonance. He wrote his first book, Ignite, at the age of 23 for the Markham clothing store. It won the Grand Prix at the First Paper House Art Of Design Awards and the only craft prize awarded that year, in the design category, at the national design/advertising awards (The Loeries).
As a creative director, he’s a champion for innovative design and communication for his clients which have included Nike, Levi’s, Johnny Walker, The Design Indaba, MTN, apple and many more, from Los Angeles, to Amsterdam, to Johannesburg, to Cape Town. His work has spanned everything from monuments to biodegradable posters.
In 2009, for his work as the author of the art/photography project “I Wrote This For You”, he was voted one of the top 5 finalists in the world in the “Best Blogger To Follow” category on mashable.com under his online pseudonym, pleasefindthis.
The project, which has proven incredibly popular across the world and gone on to become a best selling book, has also afforded him numerous exciting opportunities, including an invitation to dinner with the US Ambassador to South Africa, Donald Gipps as a consultant on digital development within South Africa, and a speaking spot at TEDx Johannesburg.
Through the project, he was also able to have skateboards delivered to The Uganda Skateboard Union on behalf of Stacy Peralta, director of Dogtown And Z-Boys and Riding Giants and he’s previously acted as a creative consultant to Brian Wayne Transeau or “BT” (whose previous collaborators include Peter Gabriel, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake and David Bowie, amongst others) on his last album, If The Stars Are Eternal, So Are You And I.
His work has won numerous local and international awards and can be found in Communication Arts, Design Indaba Magazine, Ad Vantage Magazine, bestadsontv.com, Contagious Magazine, Archive, The University of Pretoria’s Permanent Design Collection, X-ings: Shaping Culture Through Design Exhibition, The United Nations Gallery of Sustainable Communication, TEDx, Heso Magazine (Japan) and http://www.inpursuitofelegance.com
Iain’s work focuses on non-traditional media in all its forms. He has never once really and truly enjoyed a long walk on a beach." - source
As a creative director, he’s a champion for innovative design and communication for his clients which have included Nike, Levi’s, Johnny Walker, The Design Indaba, MTN, apple and many more, from Los Angeles, to Amsterdam, to Johannesburg, to Cape Town. His work has spanned everything from monuments to biodegradable posters.
In 2009, for his work as the author of the art/photography project “I Wrote This For You”, he was voted one of the top 5 finalists in the world in the “Best Blogger To Follow” category on mashable.com under his online pseudonym, pleasefindthis.
The project, which has proven incredibly popular across the world and gone on to become a best selling book, has also afforded him numerous exciting opportunities, including an invitation to dinner with the US Ambassador to South Africa, Donald Gipps as a consultant on digital development within South Africa, and a speaking spot at TEDx Johannesburg.
Through the project, he was also able to have skateboards delivered to The Uganda Skateboard Union on behalf of Stacy Peralta, director of Dogtown And Z-Boys and Riding Giants and he’s previously acted as a creative consultant to Brian Wayne Transeau or “BT” (whose previous collaborators include Peter Gabriel, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake and David Bowie, amongst others) on his last album, If The Stars Are Eternal, So Are You And I.
His work has won numerous local and international awards and can be found in Communication Arts, Design Indaba Magazine, Ad Vantage Magazine, bestadsontv.com, Contagious Magazine, Archive, The University of Pretoria’s Permanent Design Collection, X-ings: Shaping Culture Through Design Exhibition, The United Nations Gallery of Sustainable Communication, TEDx, Heso Magazine (Japan) and http://www.inpursuitofelegance.com
Iain’s work focuses on non-traditional media in all its forms. He has never once really and truly enjoyed a long walk on a beach." - source
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
April 5, 2017
Five star concept, three star execution, four star middle finger to the NSA.
All poems contain words on the NSA watch list.
One example:
16
Please don’t worry
These are just the symptoms of being a target
(Listen in on this, you motherfuckers)
We’re not the scammers
Scamming the scammed
You are
It’s no wonder one of the words
We cannot whisper
Is “leak”
Enjoy making love
To a screaming planet
All poems contain words on the NSA watch list.
One example:
16
Please don’t worry
These are just the symptoms of being a target
(Listen in on this, you motherfuckers)
We’re not the scammers
Scamming the scammed
You are
It’s no wonder one of the words
We cannot whisper
Is “leak”
Enjoy making love
To a screaming planet
November 14, 2015
"No bird ever looked at a plane in envy"
At first I gave this book 3 stars, because while there's some good poetry in there, there's also some that feels rushed.
However, I think the whole idea of it is gutsy, and I love Iain Thomas for doing it, as he states on his blog I Wrote This For You (that some of you may be familiar with):
"By transmitting this book via email or other means, you are liable to be tracked by the NSA as a potential terrorist threat. This book is dedicated to how ridiculous that is."
And what better way to expose the ridiculousness of it all than by turning something supposedly threatening into something beautiful and loving?
So 3 stars for wonderful poetry, and an extra for courage.
Poetry is a weapon, really. You can say anything, you can attack anything, you can put into words things that are beyond it.
This book is, roughly speaking, a little rebellion, a small opposition. We should do this more often, use poetry to expose more than just ourselves.
"Laying down these power lines
A vaccine for the voiceless
No one who's ever been in love
Has thought that words meant nothing
("Nothing" like a pipe bomb in a library)"
At first I gave this book 3 stars, because while there's some good poetry in there, there's also some that feels rushed.
However, I think the whole idea of it is gutsy, and I love Iain Thomas for doing it, as he states on his blog I Wrote This For You (that some of you may be familiar with):
"By transmitting this book via email or other means, you are liable to be tracked by the NSA as a potential terrorist threat. This book is dedicated to how ridiculous that is."
And what better way to expose the ridiculousness of it all than by turning something supposedly threatening into something beautiful and loving?
So 3 stars for wonderful poetry, and an extra for courage.
Poetry is a weapon, really. You can say anything, you can attack anything, you can put into words things that are beyond it.
This book is, roughly speaking, a little rebellion, a small opposition. We should do this more often, use poetry to expose more than just ourselves.
"Laying down these power lines
A vaccine for the voiceless
No one who's ever been in love
Has thought that words meant nothing
("Nothing" like a pipe bomb in a library)"
April 26, 2014
Sold on the first poem. :>
"There’s something intensely romantic
In the notion that if you ever feel alone and toxic
You can just pick up the phone
And start to talk
And someone will always be listening."
Also, may I just point out that Iain Thomas is so freaking awesome?
"There’s something intensely romantic
In the notion that if you ever feel alone and toxic
You can just pick up the phone
And start to talk
And someone will always be listening."
Also, may I just point out that Iain Thomas is so freaking awesome?
July 4, 2016
Super fast read!
While the idea of this poetry collection seems special and somewhat audacious, I found most of the twenty-five poems to be rather forced and nonsensical. How is it possible for someone to write something as beautiful as 'I wrote this for you' and still manages to write something as nonsensical as this one! ... Disappointed!
Btw ..NSA means ‘No Strings Attached’
While the idea of this poetry collection seems special and somewhat audacious, I found most of the twenty-five poems to be rather forced and nonsensical. How is it possible for someone to write something as beautiful as 'I wrote this for you' and still manages to write something as nonsensical as this one! ... Disappointed!
Btw ..NSA means ‘No Strings Attached’
August 22, 2021
I'm probably on an NSA watchlist now
but so is everyone else because the words "lockdown" and "quarantine" are apparently being tracked by them so I hope 2020 was a successful year for the NSA
but so is everyone else because the words "lockdown" and "quarantine" are apparently being tracked by them so I hope 2020 was a successful year for the NSA
July 15, 2013
Iain Thomas has taken words off the NSA flag-list and made them about something more powerful and soul-crushing than war: love. And somehow it's not weird. Somehow the poetry is lovely and you forget that it's a political statement about the NSA. It's so moving, in fact that each one makes you truly re-consider how the NSA can flag some of the words (listed at the back) as they are incredibly common. The NSA is watching you/listening to you anyway, you might as well have them watch you read some great poems.
July 14, 2013
This one was good and uhhh, I'm stupid that I didn't realize that NSA means No Strings Attached as my best friend told me, Hahaha! I thought NSA Stands for Natl. Sec. Agency but nuh-uh. But the ending I was like, THAT'S ALL?! :|
January 16, 2014
I keep reading this book over and over again! i love it even tho some sentences just don't make any sense to me... anyway, it isn't as good as Iain Book I wrote this for you. but it isn't bad at the same! i love how the author keeps his books interesting. nice short read!
February 5, 2016
Is is a really interesting collection given its concept. The poems depict normal feelings but you quickly realize that the metaphors used can be misinterpreted by a computer algorithm with no experience with poetry. The poems have really interesting imagery.
January 10, 2016
Quick fix for the weary heart! I'm giving it an average rating because seriously the ending is like poetry's version of cliffhangers.
January 22, 2018
Really liked 6, 13, 14, and 20. Otherwise nothing that really screamed out at me, but points for the concept.
August 1, 2019
It's just a meh read for me. I dont particularly hate it but I also dont have anything that I like about it too. Probably not for me.
February 6, 2017
"No bird ever looked at a plane in envy."
A very fast read , the idea is each poem contains a word or group of words that are on the NSA radar , keywords when said or searched , put the user under surveillance. The idea itself is interesting, but the poems are not as good as "I Wrote This For You"; they feel kind of rushed , and built around the keywords.
A very fast read , the idea is each poem contains a word or group of words that are on the NSA radar , keywords when said or searched , put the user under surveillance. The idea itself is interesting, but the poems are not as good as "I Wrote This For You"; they feel kind of rushed , and built around the keywords.
July 26, 2019
Clever idea. Needed more. Several were great. Many were literally just words on the page. This does make me want to write my own NSA poem, though!
June 1, 2021
Words being in the NSA watch list should have been a 5 star book concept. Execution however was 1 Star Book. Very disappointed read.
November 14, 2021
interesting read thanks niko for the send
November 8, 2021
I have no clue what I read. Maybe I’m just not super into pieces like this and it just wasn’t my cup of tea. I’d give it a 1.5 since it wasn’t offensive and didn’t make me upset.
March 9, 2015
An incredibly innovative idea executed really well- I absolutely love the idea of treating something so bureaucratic and cold as NSA buzzwords with poetry. This is obviously a quick read, but one that stays with you. It also accomplishes what I think is one of the fundamental goals of poetry in getting the reader to think completely differently about the subject, transforming it through language (in this case, the NSA list of buzzwords). I especially enjoyed how some of the poems are obviously political, while others are more universal and touch on the theme of love. Some of them did feel a little forced, but it would be hard for them not to with an assignment like this. Numbers 1, 10, 11, and 24 are standouts in this collection.
December 12, 2015
Iain S. Thomas marries politics on privacy with poetic prose. An interesting approach by far. I gave the rating of 4 out of 5 stars on account I don't see myself revisiting the poems. However, as a collective whole I found the very idea exciting and interesting. Where you could give a phone book to an accomplished and talented singer, you could give Iain S. Thomas any topic and I'm certain he could turn it into a worthwhile read with heartbreaking prose.
February 9, 2015
Lamentablemente esperaba un poco más de los poemas. Muchos me han parecido poca cosa, y creo que pleasefindthis tiene otros mucho mejores en I Wrote This For You. Sin embargo, le tengo que dar cuatro estrellas porque la premisa del libro es más que genial.
July 25, 2016
When Iain says at the description of the book that if you share this book via email you would be a target for the NSA, and then says how ridiculous that is, it shows the beginning of a book that is a bit of a rebel. Poetry might be used as a weapon, because words could mean everything if you wanted them to. This is a book that puts love against different tragedies of the world, like violence. I would totally recommend this book to people who are being introduced to poetry.
May 11, 2016
25 Love Poems For the NSA is an idea that I thought was really interesting but maybe could have been executed better. I hold Iain S. Thomas up to high standards now. I loved both installments of I Wrote This For You, and I just wish there had been more to these poems. I can't really complain because I got it for free, but I hope the next work of his I read has a little more meat to it.
February 26, 2015
Very creatively put together, Iain Thomas never ceases to amaze me. This quick read is worth the one lunch break it takes to fully grasp each concept and it leaves you hungry for more from such a powerful author
March 6, 2015
Next time you need a laugh, take twenty minutes and read this. The use of the NSA's watchword list woven into love poetry is brilliant! If I could shoehorn this into a UIL category, we would be reading it immediately!
February 10, 2016
25 Love Poems for the NSA. Clever and enjoyable.
Creative. Mostly enjoyable, though sometimes a little contrived. Overall, clever. An interesting concept that generally works as a collection of contemporary poetry.
Creative. Mostly enjoyable, though sometimes a little contrived. Overall, clever. An interesting concept that generally works as a collection of contemporary poetry.
July 30, 2016
Short and simple.
Loved the poems
The thought on the book was pretty fascinating. I had to read the book as soon as I read the title. Well I wasn't disappointed.
"And hail is just water that’s forgotten to breathe" :')
Splendid Poetry.
Loved the poems
The thought on the book was pretty fascinating. I had to read the book as soon as I read the title. Well I wasn't disappointed.
"And hail is just water that’s forgotten to breathe" :')
Splendid Poetry.
October 14, 2016
1 star for usefulness, 1 star for being smartasses, 1 star for some poems, mainly the first one which is creepily profound and true. Felt like the writing had an overall lack of flow. Had a better potential.
December 27, 2016
I LOVE the concept--loved seeing the words listed in the appendix. I didn't particularly love the poems, some of which felt pretty forced (trying to fit "pipe bomb" into a love poem, for example) but this was ultimately really well executed and it definitely got its point across to me!
July 16, 2017
I applaud the cause. #support
But for the writing itself, I am not impressed. I think Iain was hyper aware of using the watchlist words instead of being inspired by it and that's why the poems were not impressive.
But for the writing itself, I am not impressed. I think Iain was hyper aware of using the watchlist words instead of being inspired by it and that's why the poems were not impressive.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews