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National Poetry Series
Trébuchet: Poems
Trebuchet is the much-anticipated follow-up to Danniel Schoonebeek's debut book of poems, American Barricade, which was named one of 2014's ten best books of poetry by Poets & Writers and hailed as a "groundbreaking first book that stands to influence its author's generation" by Boston Review.
The poems in Trebuchet--which takes its name from the catapult used to break down walls and barriers during medieval wars--are at once combative and incendiary, tackling contemporary politics in a more direct, personal way than Schoonebeek ever has before. Addressing gun violence, poverty, fascism, surveillance, white privilege, the protest movement, censorship, American history, torture, and net neutrality, Schoonebeek's writing is marked by a unique use of slang and jargon, manipulation of white space, and precise rhythm on the page. His poems have been praised by many critics for their momentum, obsession with weird language, and the precision of their enjambments and end-stopped lines.
Though American Barricade and Trebuchet speak to one another and map an evolving poetics, Schoonebeek's second collection is a departure from the aesthetics and obsessions that defined his first, which was invested in the politics of family dynamics and the insistence in this country on obtaining power and wealth. If American Barricade was the book that wanted to kick open the door, Trebuchet is the book that wants to tear the door off its hinges.
The poems in Trebuchet--which takes its name from the catapult used to break down walls and barriers during medieval wars--are at once combative and incendiary, tackling contemporary politics in a more direct, personal way than Schoonebeek ever has before. Addressing gun violence, poverty, fascism, surveillance, white privilege, the protest movement, censorship, American history, torture, and net neutrality, Schoonebeek's writing is marked by a unique use of slang and jargon, manipulation of white space, and precise rhythm on the page. His poems have been praised by many critics for their momentum, obsession with weird language, and the precision of their enjambments and end-stopped lines.
Though American Barricade and Trebuchet speak to one another and map an evolving poetics, Schoonebeek's second collection is a departure from the aesthetics and obsessions that defined his first, which was invested in the politics of family dynamics and the insistence in this country on obtaining power and wealth. If American Barricade was the book that wanted to kick open the door, Trebuchet is the book that wants to tear the door off its hinges.
- GenresPoetry
168 pages, Paperback
First published November 15, 2016
About the author
Danniel Schoonebeek
9 books5 followersDanniel Schoonebeek’s first book of poems, American Barricade, was published by YesYes Books in 2014. It was named one of the year’s ten standout debuts by Poets & Writers and called “a groundbreaking first book that stands to influence its author’s generation” by Boston Review.
In 2015, he was awarded a Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry fellowship from the Poetry Foundation and his second book of poems, Trébuchet, was selected as a winner of the 2015 National Poetry Series and will be published by University of Georgia Press in 2016.
Recent work appears in The New Yorker, Poetry, Kenyon Review, Fence, Tin House, and elsewhere. A recipient of awards and honors from Poets House, the Millay Colony for the Arts, the Akademie Schloss Solitude, and Oregon State University, he hosts the Hatchet Job reading series in Brooklyn and edits the PEN Poetry Series.
In 2016, Poor Claudia will publish his latest book, a travelogue called C’est la guerre.
In 2015, he was awarded a Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry fellowship from the Poetry Foundation and his second book of poems, Trébuchet, was selected as a winner of the 2015 National Poetry Series and will be published by University of Georgia Press in 2016.
Recent work appears in The New Yorker, Poetry, Kenyon Review, Fence, Tin House, and elsewhere. A recipient of awards and honors from Poets House, the Millay Colony for the Arts, the Akademie Schloss Solitude, and Oregon State University, he hosts the Hatchet Job reading series in Brooklyn and edits the PEN Poetry Series.
In 2016, Poor Claudia will publish his latest book, a travelogue called C’est la guerre.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
September 8, 2016
In the world of these poems, a reflection of our current world, dystopia is now. Politics are pointless, people disappoint, our communities let us down. Some play with form (in fact a few I have no idea how they would be read aloud, so played around with various ways they might work.) So naturally, I loved them.
Some favorites:
"This Neverender"
"...When I return from you like a failed occupation...."
"Sorrow is My Own Yard"
"...it's history who'll prove me a shrewd man...."
"Glasnost"
"And how do I get rid of a body."
"Archilochos"
"...there's no such thing as a trust fund kid on the battlefield."
"Dark-Eyed Junco Was Her Name"
(this is an amazing long poem with just a few phrases on each page, sometimes, and full verse on others)
"A world it will always begin
when your hostiles
will not let you stay dead."
"Like this
the world began once again for the woman behind the barrier."
"And the world will be finished now.
Because the woman is finished now."
"Now hear a generation begin to churn
in the unerring black."
Some favorites:
"This Neverender"
"...When I return from you like a failed occupation...."
"Sorrow is My Own Yard"
"...it's history who'll prove me a shrewd man...."
"Glasnost"
"And how do I get rid of a body."
"Archilochos"
"...there's no such thing as a trust fund kid on the battlefield."
"Dark-Eyed Junco Was Her Name"
(this is an amazing long poem with just a few phrases on each page, sometimes, and full verse on others)
"A world it will always begin
when your hostiles
will not let you stay dead."
"Like this
the world began once again for the woman behind the barrier."
"And the world will be finished now.
Because the woman is finished now."
"Now hear a generation begin to churn
in the unerring black."
Read
May 31, 2017This collection was...interesting. Maybe not quite for me, I had a hard time grasping some of the imagery. Not quite my style I suppose. I did enjoy many of the pieces, and it probably will need a reread for a greater understanding.
Read
October 8, 2020Trebuchet: Poems by Danniel Schoonebeek is the poet's second collection of poetry. Schoonebeek is the author of American Barricade. In 2015 he was awarded a Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry fellowship from the Poetry Foundation. His work has appeared in the New Yorker, Poetry, Kenyon Review, and Tin House.
There are days when I prove to myself without a shadow of a doubt that my education is in political science and not poetry. I glanced at Trebuchet when I first received it and realized that it was going to be a complex read. Two years ago I received Eric Linsker's La Far and it took me a year to get through it. A rewarding year, nonetheless. Trebuchet is due out in November and my early start began this Friday, just to make sure I finished on time. The writing is complex and thoughts may not always seem complete or maybe more accurately a bit disjointed. I, however, could not put this book down until I finished.
This is a collection where the introduction actually drags you in. I may be dating myself, but it would be like seeing the trailer for "Mulholland Drive," getting psyched by it, seeing the movie and walking out saying that was quite a trip...but to where. Trebuchet is like a lost weekend in print format.
Schoonebeek warns the reader that this book will probably get the reader on a government watch list. He also suggests trebucheting the book into the White House. A little physics lesson would reveal that Les Miserables might be a better choice considering the number of pages and F=m*a. The introduction sets the hook and is the most plain-spoken part of the collection. Not that that is a bad thing.
The poems cover a wide range of subjects violence, poverty, fascism, and censorship. The structure on each page is also interesting. ".Gif" fills the page end to end like a NASA stream of 1s and 0s that build a remarkable image. “Glasnost” repeats the troublesome problem of how to get rid of a body. “Laguardia” consists of a few words in each line and tells in part the story of a girl who survived two years as an erotic dancer in an absinthe bar. It also contains references of back streets and a deathtrap that triggered Bruce Springsteen in my mind. The poem " Poem with a Gun to Its Head" is written in compact newspaper columns and include mention of a Marine platoon sergeant.
While this collection remained elaborate in its style it did take me on quite a ride. Much like my earlier reference to “Mulholland Drive” this collection left me exhilarated, stimulated, but scratching my head. It's the most amazing thing that you cannot describe. An adventure in experimental poetry.
There are days when I prove to myself without a shadow of a doubt that my education is in political science and not poetry. I glanced at Trebuchet when I first received it and realized that it was going to be a complex read. Two years ago I received Eric Linsker's La Far and it took me a year to get through it. A rewarding year, nonetheless. Trebuchet is due out in November and my early start began this Friday, just to make sure I finished on time. The writing is complex and thoughts may not always seem complete or maybe more accurately a bit disjointed. I, however, could not put this book down until I finished.
This is a collection where the introduction actually drags you in. I may be dating myself, but it would be like seeing the trailer for "Mulholland Drive," getting psyched by it, seeing the movie and walking out saying that was quite a trip...but to where. Trebuchet is like a lost weekend in print format.
Schoonebeek warns the reader that this book will probably get the reader on a government watch list. He also suggests trebucheting the book into the White House. A little physics lesson would reveal that Les Miserables might be a better choice considering the number of pages and F=m*a. The introduction sets the hook and is the most plain-spoken part of the collection. Not that that is a bad thing.
The poems cover a wide range of subjects violence, poverty, fascism, and censorship. The structure on each page is also interesting. ".Gif" fills the page end to end like a NASA stream of 1s and 0s that build a remarkable image. “Glasnost” repeats the troublesome problem of how to get rid of a body. “Laguardia” consists of a few words in each line and tells in part the story of a girl who survived two years as an erotic dancer in an absinthe bar. It also contains references of back streets and a deathtrap that triggered Bruce Springsteen in my mind. The poem " Poem with a Gun to Its Head" is written in compact newspaper columns and include mention of a Marine platoon sergeant.
While this collection remained elaborate in its style it did take me on quite a ride. Much like my earlier reference to “Mulholland Drive” this collection left me exhilarated, stimulated, but scratching my head. It's the most amazing thing that you cannot describe. An adventure in experimental poetry.
December 27, 2025
One of the better poetry collections I read this year. Bleak and dystopian and heavy and real. Political and war torn and American and anti-American and anti-war. It makes sense Daniel Borzutzky blurbed this one. I need to check out his debut American Barricade.
"A world will begin. / A world do you hear me a world."
"Night the gaslight of death / swims like koi up the wall."
"With no war left to provie it the sun eliminates itself from the throne."
"A world will begin. / A world do you hear me a world."
"Night the gaslight of death / swims like koi up the wall."
"With no war left to provie it the sun eliminates itself from the throne."
January 7, 2017
These daring poems confront the reality of a changing world even as they delight in mythmaking. Political and timeless. Schoonebeek is a sharpshooter of the poetic line.
Postcard review: http://ow.ly/Rv1Z307MLc7
Postcard review: http://ow.ly/Rv1Z307MLc7
August 4, 2016
Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
The poems of Trébuchet are perfect for the nebulous social chaos of 2016. Stark, skillful, and unsentimental, these poems steel their focus on a world at the precipice of collapse. The tone and thematic tensions are established early; in the introduction Schoonebeek warns, “These poems were written to put you on a government watch list”. In the rest of the poem (as well as the poems that follow) the narrative is underscored by a playful, anxious kind of interpellation, best illustrated when Schoonebeek writes, “If these poems don’t throw themselves through your windows please burn them.”
The poems frequently veer into the territory of nihilism and paranoia, but manage to do so without cheapening or compromising the social critique at the heart of the collection. Trébuchet is deftly experimental in its styling and structure, and each individual poem carries its weight into the thrilling culmination found in “Dark-Eyed Junco Was Her Name”.
A startling, striking, and demanding book that rewards you with poems both finely-tuned and unforgettable.
The poems of Trébuchet are perfect for the nebulous social chaos of 2016. Stark, skillful, and unsentimental, these poems steel their focus on a world at the precipice of collapse. The tone and thematic tensions are established early; in the introduction Schoonebeek warns, “These poems were written to put you on a government watch list”. In the rest of the poem (as well as the poems that follow) the narrative is underscored by a playful, anxious kind of interpellation, best illustrated when Schoonebeek writes, “If these poems don’t throw themselves through your windows please burn them.”
The poems frequently veer into the territory of nihilism and paranoia, but manage to do so without cheapening or compromising the social critique at the heart of the collection. Trébuchet is deftly experimental in its styling and structure, and each individual poem carries its weight into the thrilling culmination found in “Dark-Eyed Junco Was Her Name”.
A startling, striking, and demanding book that rewards you with poems both finely-tuned and unforgettable.
August 1, 2016
Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to review an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
It was the beautiful front cover which attracted me to this book despite the fact that I rarely read poetry. I am pleased I did because of the variety of interesting themes explored within the collection from torture to surveillance.
From the start it pulled me in with lines like, “these poems were written to land you on a government watch list” and “the middle class will beat itself to death with this book.”
The dancing plague was my favourite poem of this dark and intriguing collection.
“She spoke these words with a hole in her skill in the snow
And her body lying there in the village square so beautiful
The hostiles began to dance on either side of the body.
And they danced until they too fell dead in the snow beside him.”
It was the beautiful front cover which attracted me to this book despite the fact that I rarely read poetry. I am pleased I did because of the variety of interesting themes explored within the collection from torture to surveillance.
From the start it pulled me in with lines like, “these poems were written to land you on a government watch list” and “the middle class will beat itself to death with this book.”
The dancing plague was my favourite poem of this dark and intriguing collection.
“She spoke these words with a hole in her skill in the snow
And her body lying there in the village square so beautiful
The hostiles began to dance on either side of the body.
And they danced until they too fell dead in the snow beside him.”
December 17, 2016
While the style of some of the poems did leave me breathless -- single sentences on a page led to me racing through pages to complete thoughts -- overall I was underwhelmed by this collection. Both the opening and closing works were very strong and skillfully written, but unfortunately other than those (and one or two around the midpoint of the book) most of the rest of them were, regrettably, forgettable.
August 13, 2016
This was quite an interesting book of poetry which was so skillfully written you could feel the tension in the writing. I was actually out of my comfort zone with this book but only because its not my usual genre.
Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for allowing me to review this book
Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for allowing me to review this book
November 22, 2016
Micro-blurb: an Old Testament indictment of social palindromes & hardscrabble prophecies.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews