In The Small Of My Backyard

by Matt Cook

Spoken word artist Matt Cook tackles life perceptively in bars, his neighborhood, and at work. His poems are a shrewd blend of cracker-barrel philosopher and an over-caffeinated Groucho Marx. Quirky and humorous, his writing is perfect for people who think they hate poetry (and those who love it, too).

Genres: Poetry

96 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2002

Reviews

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't care much for poetry until I heard Matt Cook read.

[Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious and quirky. Must find more Matt Cook. It's like amazing.

[Josh Ashing · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first section is charming & cynically witty.
Ironically, the third section, which features the known "James Joyce" piece" and Milwaukee the most, is my least favorite section.
Must keep reading more Matt though.

"His mother came down with adult onset Christianity." - That Kid & His Mom (pg. 11)

"If you're not part of the comedy, you're part of the tragedy." - Box of Chocolates (pg. 24)

"Of course poetry is something you discover
Through a process of of daydreaming & talking to yourself" - Other People's Money (pg. 59)

"Working class men make me feel like a girl - and it feels good" Ping Pong (pg. 75)

[Adam Stone · Rating 5 out of 5]

(I don't often rate or review poetry collections because I usually know the writers or, at least, have many friends in common, and I don't want to come across as having my experience reading the books influenced by how I feel about said person.)

When I first encountered slam poetry and spoken word poetry in the 90s, I mostly experienced it aurally or visually. I read the mostly dead white people books I'd been recommended in high school, and a few living, "more literary" poets that I'd been exposed to in college classes.

Apart from Patricia Smith, I didn't read books by people who'd come through spoken word.

While on tour in 2003, my touring partner let me borrow books by Jeffrey McDaniel, Derrick Brown, and Daphne Gottleib, and it changed the way I bought poetry, read poetry, and wrote poetry.

I've owned Cook's Eavesdrop Soup for a few years, and enjoyed it. But this book took me back to being in my twenties and finding out poetry had different tricks than I was used to.

The poems from this collection were written at the same time as those McDaniels, Brown, and Gottleib books, so there's a touch of nostalgia to my enjoyment, but it's been quite a long time since I've felt this type of nostalgia and enjoyment of a poetry collection.

If you enjoy shorter, densely clever poetry about midwestern American life, perhaps littered with historical references, than I highly recommend picking up this book.

[Laura Lee]

Matt Cook's poems strike me as being the literary equivalent of a Jerry Seinfeld monologue. They are full of clever observations about everyday life. I did not rate this because I abandoned it after coming to a poem with the line "He should have went." "Should have went" is my biggest grammatical pet peeve. Perhaps it is petty of me but I could not forgive it.

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a book to read straight through but to pick up for an occasional blast of weirdness.

[Malea · Rating 5 out of 5]

If Holden Caulfield had been a poet, this is the poetry he would have written.

[Liam Malone · Rating 5 out of 5]

While still asking us to think about life and everyday loves and hates and stuff making us tick, this collection is accessible and fun to read (aloud). So far best book I've read in 2013.