First-Hand Accounts from Made-up Places

by Mike James

A collection of poems by Mike James--Imaginative and yet real.

60 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2018

About the author

Librarian note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Larry Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mike James writes 'outside the box,' as we say now, or maybe better put: 'down the rabbit hole.' His poems and prose-poems just ring with bells of recognition in an imagined world. His books title hints at the deep yet purposeful mystery of recording the lives ("first hand accounts") of others, both real and imagined in "made-up places." His long opening poem piece, "Americanized Ghazals" just rolls on with an interior monologue shared in all its moods and colorful tones. The flamboyant yet accurate language and James' vivid sense of character and voice makes poem and poem ring with humor and depth. Perhaps he's the son on such New Surrealists as James Tate, Charles Simic, and others; but we can count that a blessing here in this rich volume of imaginative verse.

[Stephen Powers · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a spirited and imaginative collection of poems that starts off with a sequence of ghazals, the first of which lets us know we’re about to map the terrain of regret: “I can’t tell you all the places I’ve been. / Memory holds less geography, more loss.” This theme runs through poems about rivers, rain, holding your breath, and knowing your way only on roads lined with kudzu. Watch for Buddy Ebsen, Matthew Broderick, Scarlett O’Hara, Ishmael, and other interesting characters, both real and imaginary—they pop up from time to time, and give this collection a flavor of deep nostalgia while looking to an uncharted future: “Maybe our teeth exit first, make a path for our bodies.”

[Agnes Vojta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mike James’ book is divided into three parts. It opens with a section of Americanized Ghazals, followed by a short interlude of mostly ekphrastic poems, and concludes with prose poems that brim with delightful images, word play, and subtle humor.
The ghazals are like strings of pearls, each couplet (or tercet) an aphorism that shines alone, but gains in beauty through its companions. There are lines I want to write on a strip of paper and carry as a talisman. “If your heart breaks more than once a week,/ go to the river. It’s always saying yes.” Say yes to this book.

[Amanda Robins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny and thoughtful. Just wonderful.