Killer

by Kimmy Walters

Killer is the second poetry collection by Kimmy Walters, a writer characterized by Dazed Magazine as "one of poetry's brightest young things" with "a sense of wit as sharp as her words." Heavily influenced by an interest in modern mysteries and forensic science, this collection considers the world with a deep curiosity and a tinge of suspicion.

"Reading Killer feels like being stabbed by someone who then does a comedy act about your injury that is so funny you can't help but laugh, and you aren't sure if the laughter is despite the pain or because of the pain."

—Mira Gonzalez, author of i will never be beautiful enough to make us beautiful together

"This book reminds me of being alive more than other books remind me of being alive

When I read this book I feel a little anger at how good it is, but I also feel like I’m laughing in a red convertible

This book is so good it ruined my day but like in a fun way"
—Hera Lindsay Bird, author of Hera Lindsay Bird

Genres: Poetry

89 pages, Paperback

First published October 31, 2016

Reviews

[Lara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I ordered this the day before the election because I knew I'd need something to treat myself. It took nearly a month to arrive, and I read it at 6 am in one sitting having not slept, which means I should really read it again when I have gotten some rest.

There were some really great poems and even more great small moments throughout. I liked all the dogs and ghosts and kissing robots.

"Genius Story" reminded me so much of my sister. I can't wait to show her that there's a poem about someone who feels the same way about soil as she feels about rocks.

[Sophia · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I can’t commit suicide on a dog’s birthday
my god
I just can’t”

[Miranda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked a lot of the poems in this collection. While there were a few I couldn't get into as much because they seemed too abstract with unconnected words/phrases in them, most of the poems had amazing, unique stuff going on.

[Downward · Rating 5 out of 5]

kimmy walters' poetry is unheard language; her metaphors are unique, born directly from the subject matter and with a digressive truth that only feels truer because sometimes how she gets there is confusing. poems start about one thing and then use that thing to move laterally to a completely different thought, which mimics the way (my?) thought processes work, but is a structure woefully underrepresented in poetry and fiction. fortunately, approaching poetry this way allows a synthesis of really funny ideas with really sad ones with basic observations about things, all filtered through a perspective that really, and i cant say this enough, is a unique one. her other book, uptalk, is also really great. she is someone worth watching.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this in a Goodreads Giveaway

This collection captured my brain. It got me out of my own head and thoroughly engrossed in Kimmy Walters' head. Each poem, each sentence even, was both funny and wrenching. How does she do that? I've never thought of myself as a poetry person but this collection usurped my idea of poetry. Kimmy makes poetry absurd, delightful, awkward and all other words that describe something indescribable. Touché, Kimmy Walters, touché.

[Nick Fagerlund · Rating 5 out of 5]

Man I like Kimmy Walters' poems. You should get this book, forget you have it, and find it again when you're in a Mood that you don't have a name for.

[Valfreyja · Rating 4 out of 5]

don't ever show a
photo of your house key to anyone they can use it to make a replica and then they'll come incapacitate you tie you up and braid your hair or worse
don't look at me like that honey you know how people are

~

just look at me
recipient of my very own injury and I don't even get my body as a souvenir

~

when you are absent of pains you may suspect that you don't have a body at all

more things than you'd think are susceptible in this particular way

if I get the scratch on the lens of my glasses fixed I might stop behaving as if there is a cat in the corner of every room

someone whose phone number is easily confused with mine knows a lot of sleepy-voiced people

I receive their hellos and
make a face towards the corner
like can you believe this?
again?

~

really, how indistinguishable from your living form do you need to be before you're technically nowhere

[Adam Marquis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like poetry but do not 'like' poetry.

For me poetry is the sounds of a MODEM or fax machine handshake; I understand that there is an immense amount of dense information being transmitted but to my ear it is tinny white noise.

Reading Walters' poems I feel like there's something in the noise I can grasp on to and maybe, even, if I kept reaching deeper I would find another solid rung.

[Mandy Shunnarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed Killer so much that I interviewed Kimmy and wrote a review for PANK Magazine! https://pankmagazine.com/2017/02/22/i...