Beast Feast

by Cody-Rose Clevidence

In a deconstruction not only of the idea of “Nature” but of language as well, Cody-Rose Clevidence has created in Beast Feast a total-immersion experience of what William James called the “blooming, buzzing confusion” of being in the world. This is an attack on the Emersonian myth(ide)ologies of peaceful nature, moralism, and the state as well as a reminder of the complicated histories of cruelty and commodity that haunt the American forests. Clevidence celebrates the bodies of beasts, human and non-, and all the weirdness of the real and constructed world while wondering where a safe place might be found for them.

Genres: Poetry, Queer

112 pages, Paperback

First published August 27, 2014

Reviews

[Mackenzie]

If you like E.E. Cummings's style, nature, and social critique, you'll like this collection of poems. I haven't given it any stars because…to be honest, I'm not sure how many stars to give it, I'm not sure if this collection can be rated in the usual star-rating system, if that makes sense? The only way to understand may be to read it.

[Kelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

“there are too many beasts in the forest. there are too many forests in the beasts.” (28)

So, this is a pretty impenetrable collection of poetry. Much of it consists of free-form, decontextualized chunks of letters, symbols, and words.

It’s Dada-esque and seems like it extends from a vein of automotism; this collection is alien and reading it feels like coming out of a fever dream. “Reading” may even be too strong of a word to describe thumbing through this work. It’s more of a focused viewing of each page, a quiet meditation on each letter in each line.

Largely, I found this collection to be nonsensical with some standout lines here and there. More, I found this collection to be one large question mark. It’s asking me to reconsider the purpose of language and how it’s construction is purely a symptom of a larger system. Words are meaningless till we give them meaning. Words will never mean anything to beasts or forests though. But, are we not also beasts? Are we not also in forests and forests in us?

It’s a trippy collection and not one for the traditionalist who enjoys your “standard” body of work to critique. In many ways, this collection challenges the notion of critique, the very language we use to critique. I certainly haven’t read anything else like it~

[Angus · Rating 3 out of 5]

what happens when you write poetry after reading too much heidegger and agamben

[Dean]

i literally have no idea what i've read. if someone could fill me in i'd really appreciate that.

[Leonard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Often when some one asks me why I read and love poetry, my answer goes like this; "Because sometimes it's the only thing that makes sense." I think that's true, but then also it seems as if there is nothing out there with the infinite variety that poetry has, and that includes this book published by the intrepid Ahsahta Press at my hometown Boise State Univ. I think there may be some hidden meaning to some of the "poems" in here, but I wasn't able to interpret them, and that is also one reason why I like poetry; because sometimes it doesn't make any sense, at least not to me, but I'm aware that I'm not the only person who matters. If it means something to someone else, or maybe just to the poet, that's also a legitimate reason for it's existence. I don't think non-fiction or fiction has such a broad and varied realm of creativity as that found in poetry, and this book may be strong evidence supporting that belief.

[Taylor Napolsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is some badass poetry. It's interesting and stimulating the whole way through...impenetrable at times. One of my favorite poetry books.