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Coyotes
Poetry. "Ken Arkind is the wildness of the west. Grounded and headstrong but with unimaginable breadth of heart, his work is rife with the complexities of a man unafraid to face exactly what he is--and what you are. These poems confront the uncomfortable, explore the grief and the glory. They speak with a stark honesty, loud as hardcore and boundless as those it raised. COYOTES is a defiant collection; immeasurably gracious, riotous, and wise."--Jeanann Verlee
- GenresPoetry
72 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 16, 2020
An absolute joy to read, this is a truly gritty, relatable and brutally honest account of growing up in working class America. With humour, cynicism and insightful observations, Ken Arkind tells a coming of age story with a backdrop of alternative culture, fringe interests, and a healthy dose of bad decisions. His poetry is dense and brilliantly crafted, but still accessible and enjoyable to read. Full of intense imagery and compelling narratives, this is a book that I will read time and time again.
May 13, 2017
Ken Arkind's poetry is at once challenging and accessible. Humorous and soul crushing. Read it.
March 6, 2017
After discovering Ken Arkind through his amazing Ted talks, I couldn't help but reach out to see more of his poetry. Ranging from 'An Experiment In Noise' to 'Maggie', I never stopped loving this collection, and only fell deeper in love with the writing of the poet. The themes that are explored throughout the collection are ones that I truly enjoy, this including education, race and the complexities of life. Every poem is unapologetically honest, every line is necessary to add meaning, every word resonated with me. Although the type of honestly the poet uses can make some people uncomfortable, I feel like this was a necessity to prove that even the most valued themes have some gritty taboos. I love how he faced those taboos.
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October 12, 2015I suspect this is going to be one of those books I look back on as a touchstone. I would've anyway--but, timed right before the grief starts, and a respite in a time of great stress...
Arkind is one of my favorite poets, partly because he's such a good and generous person. I think of him in the same breath as Seamus Heaney - a poet's poet, who does service to the whole enterprise of poetry as a humanist insisting that all of this matters. Not insisting it will change the world, but that it can change us each.
In this chapbook - cities as characters, redeemed even as they are flawed. Denver as the protagonist and not-quite-antagonist (a sort of purgatory-ist). Conversational lines, human stories that are still tight and pared down to pack a punch. Not too many punches packed--but fiercenesses and warmths.
"Experiment in Noise" has been my anthem for working with youth poets since I heard it in Denver at CUPSI, then in Boston at a reading at BU with Arkind and Jon Sands. Takes on race as a respectful/thoughtful white man; love, history, grief, and their combinations, all with compassion. A white poet talking about race without navel-gazing or self-congratulating.
Poems I come back to:
"Ken Buck"
"When Marvin Left"
"Anonymous"
"All White Everything"
"Tom Sawyer goes to college. American Poetry Apologizes to Trayvon Martin."
"David"
"Uncanny Valley"
"A small history."
"Maggie"
"Godbox"
Amazing sense of place, evoking without describing much--trusting us to see with him. Amazing control over how long his lines and poems are--powerful long ones that are never too long for what they need to do, alongside just as tight short ones.
Arkind is one of my favorite poets, partly because he's such a good and generous person. I think of him in the same breath as Seamus Heaney - a poet's poet, who does service to the whole enterprise of poetry as a humanist insisting that all of this matters. Not insisting it will change the world, but that it can change us each.
In this chapbook - cities as characters, redeemed even as they are flawed. Denver as the protagonist and not-quite-antagonist (a sort of purgatory-ist). Conversational lines, human stories that are still tight and pared down to pack a punch. Not too many punches packed--but fiercenesses and warmths.
"Experiment in Noise" has been my anthem for working with youth poets since I heard it in Denver at CUPSI, then in Boston at a reading at BU with Arkind and Jon Sands. Takes on race as a respectful/thoughtful white man; love, history, grief, and their combinations, all with compassion. A white poet talking about race without navel-gazing or self-congratulating.
Poems I come back to:
"Ken Buck"
"When Marvin Left"
"Anonymous"
"All White Everything"
"Tom Sawyer goes to college. American Poetry Apologizes to Trayvon Martin."
"David"
"Uncanny Valley"
"A small history."
"Maggie"
"Godbox"
Amazing sense of place, evoking without describing much--trusting us to see with him. Amazing control over how long his lines and poems are--powerful long ones that are never too long for what they need to do, alongside just as tight short ones.
April 5, 2016
It's been only recently that I've admitted to myself that I do actually enjoy poetry. Now I should clarify and say I like certain kinds of poetry, which is like anything else, really. What I've really become a fan of is slam poetry. I got the chance to hear some a few weeks ago, and it was absolutely superb.
I was in a town called Ohakune for a writers' festival, and this is where I heard Ken Arkind perform some of his pieces. He's a fellow Coloradan. That endeared me to him even before his performance began. But it only got better from there.
Ken Arkind's work is thoughtful as well as funny. He takes the everyday, spins it round and shows it to the reader in a new way. Some poems delve into the gritty, unpleasant side of life and talk about them in an unapologetic unashamed way, and that's something I always appreciate.
Several of Arkind's poems referenced places and things I was familiar with having grown up in Colorado as well. That was just a bit of an added bonus for me. I enjoyed reading the poems for myself; the experience is always different than when you hear them performed. But Arkind is an energetic, passionate performer that I would love to see again.
~Ren
I was in a town called Ohakune for a writers' festival, and this is where I heard Ken Arkind perform some of his pieces. He's a fellow Coloradan. That endeared me to him even before his performance began. But it only got better from there.
Ken Arkind's work is thoughtful as well as funny. He takes the everyday, spins it round and shows it to the reader in a new way. Some poems delve into the gritty, unpleasant side of life and talk about them in an unapologetic unashamed way, and that's something I always appreciate.
Several of Arkind's poems referenced places and things I was familiar with having grown up in Colorado as well. That was just a bit of an added bonus for me. I enjoyed reading the poems for myself; the experience is always different than when you hear them performed. But Arkind is an energetic, passionate performer that I would love to see again.
~Ren
June 1, 2014
brilliant.
September 19, 2018
Stunning.
May 10, 2018
Maybe more of a 3.5 star rating, but I'm rounding down.
There are some powerful lines in here. and some perfectly worded imagery, but I can't shake the self-important tone that provided it. At times, I felt like I was reading someone who wanted to be quoted, rather than someone who wanted to be read.
I did enjoy the Kerouac quote in the beginning, mainly because I love him, but also because this does have a Kerouac vibe- but Kerouac feels more authentic than Coyotes does.
All that being said, it is still a decent read that provides some smart quotes. I just wish I had felt it came more naturally.
There are some powerful lines in here. and some perfectly worded imagery, but I can't shake the self-important tone that provided it. At times, I felt like I was reading someone who wanted to be quoted, rather than someone who wanted to be read.
I did enjoy the Kerouac quote in the beginning, mainly because I love him, but also because this does have a Kerouac vibe- but Kerouac feels more authentic than Coyotes does.
All that being said, it is still a decent read that provides some smart quotes. I just wish I had felt it came more naturally.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews