Expectations

by Ben Klayer

Ben Klayer considered publishing this book under a pseudonym: Jordan. Therefore, people couldn’t discover another reason to ostracize him when they Googled his birth name. He ultimately concluded, however, that people already knew enough reasons; adding one more seemed inconsequential. Ben Klayer wrote Expectations because he needed to. He wrote it to organize his twisted brain. He wrote it for young guys like himself who subconsciously exhibit sexism. He wrote it to destabilize conventional perceptions about literature and poetry. He wrote it for his teachers, both within and beyond school. He wrote it for himself. Expectations contains poems, prose, and pictures about various aspects of our culture. The speaker sifts through complex thoughts about misogyny, loneliness, and perceptions while examining his role as a writer. The pieces highlight themes of expectations literally and metaphorically. Every page is different.

60 pages, Paperback

First published October 7, 2017