Limbic

by Peter Scalpello

Limbic is Peter Scalpello’s glittering ode to sex, intimacy, and queer discovery. Taking us on slippery nights out fuelled by chemsex, on drunken lads’ holidays, and into the quiet violence of small domestic moments, this is a world where tracksuits hide queer desire, where shame masks vulnerability, where wallets hide wraps of crystal meth.

From the eager trepidation of teenage sex, to the ecstasy of parties, to the stigma around HIV, Limbic is at once a therapy and a celebration, showing how queer learning can be both soft-edged and brutal at once. An exploration of masculinity, addiction and trauma, this is a revelatory collection of poems; wise, tender, and vital.

Genres: Poetry, Queer, LGBT, Fiction, Gay

96 pages, Paperback

Published March 24, 2022

Reviews

[Henk · Rating 2 out of 5]

Opaque poems that cover queer life, abuse, drugs, HIV and desire. I don’t feel the subjects are elevated by the style of the author, and in the end the cover is the thing which I feel most positive about reflecting on the entire bundle
i no longer feel - capable of placating the other - in order just to feel - safe

Despite the edgy nature of the subject Peter Scalpello takes on, little personal is visible in Limbic. The adjective heavy, opaque way poems are structured kept me from engaging with the bundle.
An example is this start of one of the poems near the end of the book:
In the reptilian squish of this
horned skull, the faggotry
Innocence neglected and tangential
victimhood I again entertain
coexist, distinct
but sensorially linked.
- Devil Works

I have a very faint idea what the intent of the poet is, even after reading the words above multiple times.

[S P · Rating 3 out of 5]

'what can and can—not be known
the queer mug of a body poured into
past its rim years ago and left dripping
like reflux forth ever since
perhaps in excess this life may be well
spent archiving evolutionary
affinity in pursuit of the past tense
of father'

(from 'Cavity', p43)

[Luke · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really appreciated this collection's fluid, almost dreamy verse, with lines flowing like a stream of consciousness, flitting hyperactively from thought to thought and back again. Concerning sex, drugs, and the liminal, limbic (thank you I'll be here all day) spaces between each, the poems thrum with life and spread out across the pages as if in invitation.
Scalpello is intensely confessional, as are seemingly all queer poets by necessity, and their recollections echo the same nervous passions and stories experienced by so many others.
I have to give praise specifically for confronting the spectre of addiction which looms over each poem: while Scalpello turns the mirror upon the languid horror of drugs, they refuse to abandon their potential to induce euphoria and facilitate utopia, even if only for a moment. Wonderfully balanced and tactfully approached.

[Ricky Schneider · Rating 3 out of 5]

Limbic is an immersive and captivating collection of poetry that vacillates between queer narratives about coming of age without a father, addiction to drugs and navigating sex. Scalpello exposes deep-seeded conflicts within himself. Each of these affects and informs the other. The poems are wildly adventurous in form and at times that can become more of an obstacle than an embellishment. The opaque style sometimes diminishes the intended effect and obscures the emotional elements at its core. Nevertheless, it is artful in its approach and genuine in its transparency. Limbic can border on pretension but there is something truly beautiful and heartfelt in its personal detail and intimacy.

[Sara Saab · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extreme good shit

[HattieB · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not sure what to think of this one. Scalpello can definitely write, though, and I'll happily be on the lookout for whatever they write next.

[Ray Higgs · Rating 4 out of 5]

limbic was a really stunning and beautiful collection of poetry that felt so poignant and important. i felt every emotion on the page from peter, and felt closer to the queer community at large through these works

i think at times the form was frustrating and a hindrance, even if there was a reasoning behind the decisions on form it usually felt that the pay off wasn’t worth it. this was only on the rare occasion though

overall, it was a gorgeous collection and i look forward to future works from peter scalpello

[Emanuel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not a big poetry connoisseur or reader, but I felt that some of these poems were fantastic.
The poet is skilful when it comes to conveying feelings that will be familiar to many queer readers, such as confusion, lust, denial, realization, and self-alienation.
Yes, at times, the content can feel rather explicit, and the language might be blunt, but I think that makes the poems even more special and efficient.

[Curtis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I personally found this anthology too blunt in its writing. The wording just tangled its roots into this unsightly jungle where meaning and sentiment were often estranged in its expanse; I found myself trudging through it and just did not enjoy how almost pretentious sounding it was.

[Marc Nash · Rating 4 out of 5]

Video review to follow

[Armen · Rating 3 out of 5]

wounds need air
to heal, remember
when you're falling
air's
all around you

from "To the young person who wants to die"

[el · Rating 5 out of 5]

absolutely gorgeous writing i cant wait to see what they write next

[Michael Hurlimann · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was one of the biggest disappointments of the year so far.

I really wanted to like this. The premise of these poems sounded just up my street, I rushed to the shop as soon as I could get out of isolation...

And then i read the first poem and my heart sunk.
Scalpello is a good poet. Peppered throughout this collection are glimpses of what they can do. But often, these poems felt so trite. So full of self-importance and insencerity. It reminded me of a literary version of the 'gay photographer cliché' where the pictures are just sexual partners shot in various states of undress against a messy berlin apartment on grainy film.

The opening poem, 'After Us' has the lines 'fingertips itching i ran / through his densely tousled crown that bore / fragments of a political self-derision'. This just reads as insensitve and, sadly, basic-reminiscent of young poets who want to achieve that high meaning-low image mix.
Elsewhere platitudes/puns like 'the masc I wear is not a face, but civilisation' ('FACES', p. 21) caused me little more than a raised eyebrow.

I will keep my eyes out for more of Scalpello's writing but this collection left me decidedly cold.

[blake · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is me announcing the start of my flirtationship with poetry.

Peter Scalpello uses form to his advantage in creatively sharing his lust, chem-sex, addiction, and lived experiences in an unforgiving world.

———————————————————————————

“As a five-year-old learning to ride a bike,
the first thing I did was throw myself
from the little turquoise handlebars, deliberately
to the ground. When my mother asked why I did it
I told her, to know how bad falling could be
so I didn't have to worry about it anymore.
I do not hold the memory of this
first-hand, rather the vision of her reminiscence
is planted history, a metaphysical
inheritance. Its recall forms fantasy
nostalgia. Memory squared.
At the centre of me is my mother.
A strange transference over time, to become
my figurative passenger. Like epigenetics,
we keep each other safe.
A tether all the same.”

[Callum · Rating 4 out of 5]

As ever, I am terrible at writing about why/what I like about poetry I just know when I like it and when it makes me *feel something* ok.

So yeh - Limbic - I really liked it! It covers some very heavy aspects of the queer experience (chemsex, HIV) but also has some really fun, light moments (I Don’t Really Have a Type But Please Be Masculine which made me laugh out loud and I had to pass it to a friend sitting nearby to read).

Scalpello works in sexual health services in the NHS working (I think) in chemsex/addiction so this professional experience certainly feeds in to the poems.

Some interesting uses of form - some work some work… less well.

But yes - made me feel something and will go back to this collection again.

ALSO, shoutout to that cover because it’s a beauty.

[exlibrisjessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some stunning language and vivid detail. These collection explores every inch of intimacy and I loved the juxtaposition between the tender and the brutal in sex and in queer identity.

I will say these poems are very experimental in form and I think for the most part that was detrimental for me because they were often so hard to read that I lost the meaning. When the form was more straight-forward I could really feel the flow and understand the vision that Scalpello was trying to achieve.

Shetland really stood out to me, whilst not the longest poem in the book, the connections to nature and animal behaviours was a really interesting way to explore sex and discovery.

[Maria Popescu · Rating 4 out of 5]

so far from my lived experience, yet so close in desire, fear, the need for intimacy - humanity.

lovely words for some sometimes not so lovely things. this book made me think and feel.

the structure of some of the poems was in itself so creative, really bending the barriers of the medium.

with love. thank you Ale for this gem and always expanding my horizons when it comes to queerness. <3

[Roadtotherisingsun · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked it. A lot of poems about sexuality, masculinity and the dangers there in.
The language didn’t lift enough for my personal taste but still liked it very much. And could also see a lot of my own queer identity in the writing.

[Holly Friend · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a teeny bit biased because I know Peter, but nevertheless this was a stunning portrait of sexuality. It's packed full of teasing, vividly drawn poems that taste just like being a teenager.

[Cristian Beccaria · Rating 4 out of 5]

“When did I stop being kind to you & why did I do that”
Agh! ❤️ it’s a lovely poem book full of fragility, intimacy, sex and ways of experimenting feelings and sensations in our bodies

[Roisin · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Everything I value in my life I owe to queerness.”

Favourite poems: Faces, Nerve, ode to tracksuit, Devil Works

[Juliano · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I need new words to explain / the things I’m capable of”. Limbic is a beautiful, brave book of poems, sexy and tragic and painfully attuned to the reality of queer experience. Peter Scalpello is dazzling as ever.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the line “are you coming with me, or just merely going” - I already knew I was going to like this collection. Limbic pulsates with desire, nightlife, tenderness and agony. A brilliant debut from a talented (and very kind) poet to watch.

[Pedro Olim · Rating 3 out of 5]

not big on poetry, i felt i could kinda get who this person is through these poems, they seem honest and touch on topics i can really connect to, but felt the typesetting was a little too much and the writing verbose at times

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful

[Jacob Lucas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why haven’t more people read this?

[Neil · Rating 4 out of 5]

- What is a void but the area between agonising and permission?

- I'm not against forgiveness but the more I try and valorise cleanliness the filthier it all seems to get

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I'm not a great poetry connoisseur. Sometimes I read poetry and just don't get it, other times I find poems to be overwrought or pretentious. It's not my favourite medium, but I want to explore it more.

Even I can see Peter Scalpello is a gifted and accomplished poet. Reading his poems, you always feel Scalpello is in complete control of the words and their placement on the page. There is a purpose and intention to his writing. An assuredness that invites you along for a ride. Sometimes I didn't know where he was taking me or which route and I may have felt lost at times, but with Scalpello in the driving seat, you feel safe in the knowledge that he does know the way and destination.

My favourite poem in this collection, "Nerve", starts with the wonderfully observed and recognisable statement: "Everything I value in my life I owe to my queerness." The poem's text is justified in a near-perfect block of text, with only the last word "closeted" standing out on the final line; an unshakable remnant of the past hanging onto the main body, always to be carried along.

The topics and themes of queer life and drug (ab)use are familiar, but Scalpello presents and digests them with distinct personal experience and some remarkable turns of phrase, such as the final line of "Foxglove": "My twelve steps are the vertebrae / Of a stranger's back".
So much unsaid, only intimated, condensed into an image of such clarity and beauty.

This is a collection I will come back to and read again - as I am sure there is plenty more to mine from repeated reading - as well as look out for further work by Scalpello.

[Robin · Rating 2 out of 5]

With any new writer, in fact with any new work I always approach things with an open and positive mind. I wanted to enjoy this thoroughly. I'd recently read the poems of Richard Scott, and since he'd endorsed this with some lovely words on the inner pink flap, I embarked with gusto.
Sadly, this book is an example of why people generally do not like poetry.
It was hard work.
Perhaps I'm not cerebral enough but many of these poems felt like so many random words. Not even stream of consciousness stuff, just words spewed on a page. It hurt my head and was not enjoyable to read.
Did I miss something? It felt like the poet was super showing off, and their peers would scowl at you across the room for not understanding the unusual words or complex symbolism.
I felt bullied.
Perhaps that was the point?
The themes are there are obvious to pick out- masculinity, sexual identity, violence, drugs - somewhat stereotypical and cliche for queer topics - aren't we more than that?
Despite all this there were some pieces I enjoyed, and I could relate to - After us, Statement, Fizz and Ode To Tracksuit are standouts.
The 'bonkers' typsetting as they called it was just dumb.

[Audrey Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn’t planning on rating this so high. I don’t believe many of the poems stand on their own. But they do masterfully lean on one another within the collection as a whole. You read part three and you want to run to part one and give part one a massive cuddle.
Poems that were dog ear worthy were
The last page of ‘Chem’
To the young person who wants to die
Ode to tracksuit (CHEFS KISS)
Sex and drugs often go hand in hand (I lost my mind at this one)