Hotel Almighty

by Sarah J. Sloat

Visually arresting and utterly one-of-a-kind, Sarah J. Sloat's Hotel Almighty is a book-length erasure of Misery by Stephen King, a reimagining of the novel's themes of constraint and possibility in elliptical, enigmatic poems. Here, "joy would crawl over broken glass, if that was the way." Here, sleep is “a circle whose diameter might be small," a circle "pitifully small," a "wrecked and empty hypothetical circle." Paired with Sloat's stunning mixed-media collage, each poem is a miniature canvas, a brief associative profile of the psyche―its foibles, obsessions, and delights.

Genres: Poetry, Art, Horror

104 pages, Paperback

First published September 15, 2020

About the author

I love poetry, literature and non-fiction. Every summer I go on a diet of short stories. I like the literary, the mainstream, the experimental and the un-categorical. I'm not big on the incomprehensible, but I like the mysterious. I like history, and long ago in another lifetime, I studied Chinese. I'm a feminist. And a mother, wife and dog lover. I'm from NJ but have lived more than half my life outside the US.

As I get older I'm only interested in reading books that are wonderful and otherwise remarkable.

In poetry and otherwhere, the lower-case i/I doesn't bother me a bit.

I used to trust the Booker more than the Pulitzer, now I don't know. I only trust it from the outset if Fitzcarraldo published it.

Regarding my shelves, I won't be listing all the instruction manuals, young adult and children's books I've read unless there's something really important I want to say about them. Which I don't, mostly.

If you want to be-friend me, that's nice, but please do it for a reason other than upping your numbers or trying to sell me your book over & over! That's ridiculous. I wouldn't do that to you, though you should read my book.

Reviews

[Ken · Rating 5 out of 5]

Erasure poetry melds the worlds of poetry and art by taking "found poetry" to another level. With found poetry, the writer selects words from a published work of prose to create a poem, sometimes with the source's themes in mind and sometimes with novel ones. With erasure poetry, on the other hand, the actual page of the source appears on the page, only most of it is "erased," leaving only words the poet selects which, linked together, make a poem. Then the author adds artwork, typically a collage of colors and cut-outs, to illustrate the poem.

Sarah Sloat's Hotel Almighty uses as its source pages from Stephen King's well-known novel, Misery, to create 70 poems booked in five suites known as "Hotel of Strange and Poisonous Flowers," "Hotel Filled With Smoke," "Hotel Wonk-Wonk," "Hotel Almighty," and "Hotel of Queer Silence."

Through Sloat's lens, handpicked words of King create some startling, mystical, and fun creations enhanced with colorful collages. As Sloat states in the introduction: "Collage, too, is surprise and accident. You might clip an image from an old book only to be bowled over by what sits on the other side. You move the pieces around, add, subtract, reshuffle your circles and swans, until it makes some kind of sense." Clearly a lot of thought goes into the illustrations accompany each erasure poem.

Here are a few examples of poems I checked out of Hotel Almighty:

"you come back / broken / in three different places / in / quality / in/ time / and / in / the glorious / hills I keep / in / my / prayers"

Here it's not so much line breaks the slashes signify as jumps between erasures on King's page. Sloat searches his pages for ones where old words (his) create new meanings (hers) in the form of poetry that, punctuated, might look like so: "You come back broken in three different places in quality, in time, and in the glorious hills I keep in my prayers." It's reminiscent of the "Hidden Pictures" feature in Highlights for Children, only in this case the writer must find words, reorder them, and create good poetry.

Here's another erasure poem, as a line: "Darkness was a woman's fingers pushing something like capsules, a little like the freight of memory in to his mouth." From novelist King to poet Sloat to reader, notions of a troubled man in the dark remembering, against his will, "the freight of memory."

Good erasure poetry require writers with both an eye for art and a way with verse. With Hotel Almighty, Sarah Sloat scores on both fronts, creating a book that will appeal equally to fans of poetry, fans of art, and and fans of Stephen King, Maine's Master of Horror.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

From a review by Kelly Fordon:
"Sarah J. Sloat’s debut poetry collection, Hotel Almighty, is a visual feast. This assemblage of erasure poems and full-color collages is a fantastical, Rubik’s Cube of a delight.
Erasure allows for chance and possibility but also the risk of work that falls flat. Not so here. Given the fact that in sum total there are less than 1500 words in this 86-page book (brevity even by poetic standards) it’s astonishing how much nuance and meaning Sloat packs into such a minute space."

https://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book...

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Largely incomprehensible, but greatly fascinating and wonderful artwork.

[Books Amongst Friends · Rating 5 out of 5]

Erasure as a poetic creative process is something I’ve only seen done a few times. Though I haven’t seen it explored through the entirety of a collection. I absolutely loved this and can’t get it off my mind. It made me think deeply about the art within art and the words and messages that call to us.

I’m most in awe of the process and eye one must have to craft something like this. Not to say it’s impossible to attempt. There’s just a level of expression and creativity that can’t be duplicated and would be explored differently book to book, person to person. On one end, Sloat has to have a layered understanding of Misery to properly capture the themes of that book in a completely different literary structure. On the other end, Sloat has to have a structural appreciation for poetic expression to formulate each line in meaningful or interconnected ways.

We may already experience collage artistry working in hand with poetry, the addition of erasure utilizes a personal effect captured in the word selection and elimination. Another person could utilize the same material and story, yet deliver a completely different poem. There in lies the joy for me as a reader. I can already imagine more people exploring this concept of poetry delivered through multi media and erasure. I know I will! I’m already thinking of book titles I no longer read or didn’t enjoy that could use the reimagining of this creative approach.

[Benjamin Niespodziany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sarah J. Sloat's visual spectacles take you into her unique and refreshing world. Where a table or desk transforms into a craft bonanza of vivid lines, vintage clippings, yarn, scissors, wallpaper, string. Hotel Almighty offers all of those things. Bring me erasure. Bring me poetry. Bring me analog collage. Bring me Misery on every damn page. This is a book unlike any other on your shelf.

"there are lions behind
and by-God lions ahead"

[Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

"you / could have hardly missed / the / thousands of / impossible / flowers / known in the technical jargon as / laughing"

an amazing collection of erasure poetry!! i was initially drawn to it because it uses a Stephen King novel as the base text, and it really surpassed my expectations. while it's a quick read, i lingered with many of the poems. erasure is an art form and not as easy as it may look. very impressive!!

[jada alexis · Rating 4 out of 5]

4-4.5 // fascinating & filled with mystery - it's so exciting to see collaged forms & fragmented forms & poetry all working together in harmony.

also shoutout to sarabande books which is publishing some of the best books today.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book of poetry - the words are powerful, clear, and concise; the images bring this to a whole new level. It's a work of art, an erased version of a Stephen King classic that has both nothing and everything to do with that work (I loved the poem that made use of the missing typewriter letters). This is how found poetry can make whole worlds you want to live in and explore. Truly eye- and breath-catching work.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are books I wish I wrote, that I sleep with under my pillow, that I carry around the house from room to room. That book right now is Sarah J. Sloat’s book of erasure poems Hotel Almighty. Stephen King’s Misery serves as the canvas to Sloat’s collage and embroidery that manifest a whole new text: a book that circles. From each poem emerges a lyrical narrative but the emotional registry of Misery bleeds through—literally—from time to time. These are not the usual Sharpie erasures; these are truly vibrant works of intentional art merging together words and images: on page 62, the erasure text begins, “Darkness was a woman’s fingers pushing something like capsules…” and perfectly punched white circles overlap to cover the remaining text and guide the reader’s eye to woman’s hand with another circle placed in its palm. In my opinion, though, the poem that opens yet seals the collection as cohesive is “o sleep, o circle whose diameter might be small…” The repetition of circle is everything. I’m on board with these exciting directions poets and poems are forging. Thank you, Sarah J. Sloat. Now excuse me, dear readers, while I try not to trip down the basement steps reading this to just-stopped washer. Disclaimer: this review is of my contribution to the arts, unpaid; I’m a reader and writer who considers reviews good citizenship in support of the arts.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting collection of poetry that began as a blackout poetry exercise and grew into a poetic collage. Very fabulous.

[Burgi Zenhaeusern · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was such a pleasure to read these whimsical collage/erasures. Reading actually doesn't capture the experience. It's more like savouring and exploring and discovering, an invitation to play and suspend one's readerly preconceptions, a liberating experience. Hotel Amighty is a book I'll go back to and get lost in again and again.

[Kenneth Cale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not only is Hotel Almighty so delightful that each page boosts your endorphins and serotonin levels like chocolate does (making it the better gift option), but it also gives Steven King’s work a reason to exist.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely brilliant!

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love visual poetry. This book is just beautiful. Cover doesn't not do it justice.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing! I am enthralled by the poems and accompanying collages. I have seen erasure poems before, but none like this. I hope there will be more of these in the future.

[Joe Imwalle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Erasure poetry at its best! I love it. The visual collages are also fantastic.

[Adriana Croce · Rating 5 out of 5]

“joy would crawl over broken glass, if that was the way”

[Courtney Hatch · Rating 5 out of 5]

By far, the coolest thing I’ve read this year (or will read). It’s impossible not to get sucked in to Sloat’s innovative and creative erasure poetry.

[Isaac Lambert · Rating 5 out of 5]

beautiful, creative, it's like going to an art museum in the palm of your hand. a few poems really spoke to me. makes me also want to read misery 😈

[Kelsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

one of a kind. every page a piece of art.

[Pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is beautiful to look at and read. It's a work of visual art as well as poetry. You can dive into the images and the words. And the physical book itself is stunning too. I highly recommend this Hotel Almighty!

[Sarah Gorham · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've never seen the likes of this before and it works beautifully. Erasure poems based on Stephen King's Misery, plus pretty amazing collages.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book of poetry changed my life.

[Bea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book! I’ve read it twice now and will probably read again today. So playful and wise and intentional and beautiful.

[Janel D. Brubaker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although I've written several of my own erasure poems, this is the first collection of erasure poetry I've read. It was suggested to me by my grad school faculty mentor as a way of expanding how I see different forms of poetry. In this collection, Sloat makes erasure poems out of pages from Stephen King's novel, Misery. And although the collection is short (less than 90 pages of poetry), it still packs a massive artistic punch.

There several layers of artistic and poetic expression in these poems. The most obvious level is, of course, the erasure poetry. The next level is all the ways she erases the words around the poems. Some are erased with whiteout. Others are colored over with color pencil or crayon or charcoal. Others still are covered over by cut outs of vintage pictures or newspaper clippings. The next level is how Sloat incorporates other artistic forms along with the poems. On most of the pages, she includes different types of collage. Some are pasted images of different shapes (lots of circles of different sizes), others are color paint swabs or pictures of classical paintings cut apart. I found myself just as drawn to the art as I was to the poems themselves. And even though the images are companions to the poems, each one feels like its own manifestation of poetry.

Sometimes the collages seem to match the theme or emotional resonance of the poems, and other times I struggled to find any connection at all. This heightened my experience of reading his book which would, otherwise, have been a quick and somewhat listless read. This isn't a criticism of Sloat, but rather an acknowledgement of the nature of erasure poetry. But what I found most compelling was how the spirit of the original text, Misery by Stephen King, still managed to leak through the poems. None of the poems are about a murderous former nurse who kidnaps her favorite writer, but they do point/dig into what it means to be a writer without actually posing a question. In fact, each poem feels more like a statement or an answer to a question that the writer knows but the reader doesn't, which is essentially the prominent theme of Misery: the kidnapped writer is trying to find ways of escaping his capture without inciting her wrath and inflicting more pain upon himself.

And it's fascinating because the poems don't connect to Misery in any overt way. Yet somehow, the narrator's voice and even Stephen King's writing style shine through from behind Sloat's incredibly artistic and poetic voice. It's as if Paul Sheldon (the main character of Misery) and Stephen King are illuminating Sloat's poetic and artistic prowess. I hope that makes sense.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for poetic inspiration. The boundaries that Sloat breaks down with this collection is astonishing.

[Suzanne Ondrus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just picked this off the new book shelf at my public library. What a delicious treat! This would make a great gift. It takes King's book misery and does erasure poems on it; then the poems (select pages) are selected. The effaced pages have beautiful collages over them. Evocative of Griffith and Sabine- a picture book with found letters for adults. This book inspires me to rethink my poetic process and what I call poetry. Bring on the scissors, markers... Now I am looking differently at used book sales- get a book and efface it!

[Andrea Blythe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sarah J. Sloat’s Hotel Almighty is a gorgeous collection of erasure poetry, using the pages of Stephen King’s Misery. Each of the pages combines evocative poetry with the visual treat of vibrant collage art. Some examples of her can be found at >Tupelo Quarterly.

[Anthony · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a reader's gold mine, inspirational from beginning to end. Each poem's unique word-and-image combination sparks off creative associations, firing the imagination: larger, longer stories and songs are implied or suggested by every page. Absolutely worth your time invested.

[Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really love found poetry, and this is such a fantastic volume.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful visually and textually. A well-executed concept and design.