Poetry Night at the Ballpark and Other Scenes from an Alternative America: Writings, 1986–2014

by Bill Kauffman

Bill Kauffman has carved out an idiosyncratic identity quite unlike any other American writer. Praised by the likes of Gore Vidal, Benjamin Schwarz, and George McGovern, he has, with a distinctive and slashingly witty, learnedly allusive style, illumed forgotten corners of American history, articulated a defiant and passionate localism, and written with love and dark humor of his repatriation. Poetry Night at the Ballpark gathers the best of Bill Kauffman's essays and journalism in defense and explication of his alternative America--or Americas. Its discrete pieces are bound by a thematic unity and propulsive energy and are full of unexpected (yet startlingly apposite) connections and revelatory linkages. Whether he's writing about conservative Beats, backyard astronomers, pacifist West Pointers, or Middle America in the movies, Bill Kauffman will challenge, maybe even change, the way you look at American politics and the American provinces.About Bill Kauffman and his "Inspiriting and restorative . . . "--Edward Abbey, author of Desert Solitaire"Kauffman and I are the original patriots. . . . Kauffman is a romantic reactionary, a writer with an odd, energetic optimism."--Gore Vidal, author of Burr "I've admired Bill Kauffman's books for years . . . appealing, elegantly written, and entirely American."--Howard Frank Mosher, author of Northern Borders"Bill Kauffman is a conservative of the highest order, unlike the false brand now conducting our political affairs."--George McGovern†, 1972 Democratic candidate for President"Kauffman thinks and feels as a man fully awake; he writes like a dream."--Thomas Mallon, author of Watergate"Generous in spirit . . . "--Christopher Hitchens, author of Hitch 22"Bill Kauffman is one of America's funniest and wisest writers. Not only can he make anarchism seem lovable, he forces you to reassess everything you believe about American politics and culture. He might even make you change your life."--Tom Bissell, author of The Father of All ThingsBill Kauffman is the author of ten previous books, including Dispatches from the Muckdog Gazette, which won the 2003 national "Sense of Place" award from Writers & Books, and Look Homeward, America, which the American Library Association named one of the best books of 2006. He also wrote the screenplay for the feature film Copperhead (2013). Kauffman and his family live in his native Genesee County, New York.

444 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 13, 2015

Reviews

[Lyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A tall drink of Americana, ranging from the nostalgic to the annoyed to the righteously indignant.

Bill Kauffman’s 2015 collection of essays, sketches, book reviews, and musings entertains as it enlightens and provokes thought.

Kauffman, a self-exiled emigre from Washington, returned to his roots in upstate New York and stayed. His prose from this perspective, away from the politics but not out of touch and with his fingers on the pulse of middle class populist sentiment, is regional in its concern and maybe even streamed down to a more focused local interest. This is the kind of libertarianism sprinkled with humor and good sense made famous by PJ O’Rourke.

Espousing the ideals of Vonnegut and Vidal, Kauffman channels Kennedy in his own version of Profiles in Courage, but Kauffman’s protagonists are the local heroes, high school basketball coaches and small town business owners who leave the national squabbles for federal hangers on. I especially liked his tributes to writers like Vonnegut and Bradbury.

A good book with some fresh perspectives that are comforting in a cold political climate.

[Lara Ryd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I didn't read *all* of these because I had to return the book/I'm reading too many books at once.

Bill Kauffman is a front porch legend. His writing is clear, punchy, and hilarious. He's probably a little bit of a Romantic, which is to say, he's probably too trusting in the merits of localism, isolationism, etc. BUT I think our current generation can stand to be beaten back into the ground... quite a bit.

Though he is obviously conservative, he does not fall neatly into a political party, which I find pretty compelling. His distrust of American university education is well-founded.

He's also obsessed with Gore Vidal.

I think I loved this book.

That's my review.

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Lift up your hearts, friends – America ain’t dead yet.” For thirty years, Bill Kauffman has been blowing raspberries at or haranguing the politics of empire – mocking and condemning all things swollen and centralized, and cheering on the local and small. This interestingly-titled volume collects a diverse amount of Kauffman’s writings, from biographical sketches of eccentric American figures to literary reviews, with all manner of opinion pieces in between. It is an anthology that celebrates the little America outside of New York and Los Angeles, the America that breathes when the television is turned off. If you have read any Kauffman before, or even read a review of Kauffman – or for that matter, the first two sentences of this review – the general temper won’t be a surprise. But Poetry Night at the Ballpark, while consistent with Kauffman’s usual spirit, collects so many different kinds of writing that even his fans will find surprises here, and delivered with his usual fondness for amusing or provocative titles. Some of the sectional collections are definitely unexpected, like a series written about holidays (in which he champions Arbor Day over Earth Day, for instance) and…some space-themed writing. The sections called “Pols”, “Home Sweet Home”, and “The America That Lost” are more of his usual fare. I’ve been reading Kauffman’s columns at the Front Porch Republic and other sources to have seen and remembered a few of these – a favorite is 2012’s “Who Needs a President?” in which he revisits the antifederalist arguments against an executive office.

In Poetry Night at the Ballpark, Kuaffman introduces a multitude of forgotten individuals, all with their quirks, and recounts stories from American history which have been largely forgotten. Take those arrogant Roosevelts – T.R. tried to inflict a new kind of spelling on the entire nation, in one of the first examples of the Oval Office obviously unhinging whoever sat in it. (Actually, considering the west wing was constructed during Teddyboy’s reign, maybe he was already unhinged and imbued it with his spirit.) Franklin Roosevelt also moved Thanksgiving hither and yon hoping to create more shopping days for Christmas, beginning the occasion’s slow but total conquest by Christmas. As varied as the essays are, they’re reliably grounded in Kauffman’s love for the small, local, and particular, be it movies or baseball. He begins in and titles his book at the local ballpark , cheering on his hometown’s boys, but has no use whatsoever for the major leagues, whose local connections are abstract, and who are oriented towards money than love of the game; sports and home intersect in his section on movies, where he calls for films that tell local stories with a local flavor, and comments at length on Hoosiers as a small-town classic.

I make no secret of liking Kauffman, and for me this book was like encountering him at a bar and sticking around to hear some salty stories of odd characters and fun stories, as well as some good old-fashioned belly-aching about the soulless suits in power. It’s not as focused as his other work, so it’s best read by people who have already encountered Kauffman before – unless a first-timer opens the book in the store, finds themselves drawn in by his playful pen, and has to sit down to experience a bit more.

[Andrew Figueiredo · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Poetry Night at the Ballpark and Other Scenes from an Alternative America" is a collection of Bill Kauffman's pieces from 1986-2014. If you're a big fan of his like I am, you'll love this book. It's split up into multiple thematic sections, so you get a good sampling of his essays including quite a few film/book reviews. For the most part, these aren't repeated from Kauffman's other collections so even if you follow him closely you're going to find something new in here. A real gem!

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent collection of Kauffman's essays. Thought-provoking, surprising, amusing, and very much worth reading.