If you want to read about subversive pop culture, stanky substance abuse, dejected relationships, overt self-depreciation, and the despair of living in a dystopian future, then Joel Landmine is your man. He will not disappoint. His first book of poetry Yeah, Well… set the tone. Now Things Change is going to kick that tone’s ass and set the bar even higher. It’d be really lame to announce something like, “Joel Landmine is a poet to keep your eye on as he’s going places,” because he already left for that higher ground and we’re the ones trailing behind. ~ Patrick O’Neil, from his foreword. Author Gun, Needle, Spoon
Joel is another stellar Bay Area poet and this is another book that I picked up during this summer's Beast Crawl, Oakland, CA's literary showcase. I had the pleasure to read with Joel this year. His verse is shoot from the hip straight, but always strangely universal, taking those little life particulars into philosophy at every turn. He will probably hate this review for saying so. But, exactly the way his poems show the profundity in the seemingly banal, so I find profundity in his cool-as-a-cucumber pose. Love you, Joel, your honesty shines.