Ing Grish

by John Yau

Yau's comic and cutting poetry collides with the work of Nozkowski, whom the New Yorker has termed "the Chardin of contemporary abstraction." The end result is a dazzling and vibrant concoction of visual and written imagery. All the poems in Ing Grish are new, as are Nozkowski's paintings and illustrations, which he created expressly for this collection.

Ing Grish was named "Book of the Year" by Small Press Traffic in San Francisco.

Genres: Poetry

80 pages, Paperback

First published November 23, 2005

About the author

John Yau is an American poet and critic who lives in New York City. He received his B.A. from Bard College in 1972 and his M.F.A. from Brooklyn College in 1978. He has published over 50 books of poetry, artists' books, fiction, and art criticism.

Reviews

[Minnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Yau is simply a fantastic poet and pushes the boundaries on Asian American literature. His poems *could* be considered sociopolitical commentary; however, what he achieves is turning that idea on its head. The title suggests an act of speaking broken/accented language. Yet as one begins reading, one questions the innate absurdities of the English language, along with what purpose language even achieves. “I do know English because I am able to tell others that I am not who they think I am” - this is exactly what John Yau’s poetry is- it’s not what you think it is. Really enjoyed the accompanying abstract illustrations as well.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very abstract at times (to match the artwork!) but also clever and funny ways to explore the nonsensical sides of English, and how words are so interchangeable, but meaning remains if the sounds will stay...

[Millissa Alger · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite book of poems. Ever.

[Paul]

Review at asianamlitfans.

[Meghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like folding two people's hands together.