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Gentleman Practice
Buddy Wakefield's third book, Gentleman Practice, documents the figurative contents of a man's body attempting to stand firm in the presence of all that is. It's a poetry book, from the perspective of a journal entry in the National Archives. The National Archives live in a building in Seattle behind barbed wire, directly next door to the Center for Spiritual Living. This is no accident. Gentleman Practice is a disarming de-haunting of accidents. There are no stunt doubles performing the honesty in this book. Head raised and victorious, he has crafted a translation of the human spirit on a small, practical patch, with a very fine tooth indeed. And, while many poetry books read like a thick epic series of sections, Gentleman Practice will no doubt rest in your hands like a well-oiled novel.
152 pages, Paperback
First published March 15, 2011
13 people are currently reading
342 people want to read
About the author
Buddy Wakefield
14 books167 followersBUDDY WAKEFIELD is the two-time Individual World Poetry Slam Champion featured on NPR, the BBC, HBO’s Def Poetry Jam, and most recently signed to Ani DiFranco’s Righteous Babe Records. In 2004 he won the Individual World Poetry Slam Finals thanks to the support of anthropologist and producer Norman Lear then successfully defended that title at the International Poetry Festival in Rotterdam, Netherlands against the national champions of seven European countries with works translated into Dutch.
In 2005 he won the Individual World Poetry Slam Championship again and has gone on to share the stage with nearly every notable performance poet in the world in hundreds of venues internationally from The Great Lawn in Central Park and Scotland’s Oran Mor to San Quentin State Penitentiary, House of Blues New Orleans and First Avenue.
In the spring of 2001 Buddy left his position as the executive assistant at a biomedical firm in Gig Harbor, WA, sold or gave away everything he owned, moved to the small town of Honda Civic and set out to live for a living, touring North American poetry venues through 2003. He still tours full time and considers annual Revival tours with Derrick Brown and Anis Mojgani, as well as separate tours with Ani DiFranco, to be the highlight of his career thus far.
Born in Shreveport, LA, mostly raised in Baytown, TX, now claiming Seattle, WA as home, Buddy has been a busker in Amsterdam, a lumberjack in Norway, a street vendor in Spain, a team leader in Singapore, a re-delivery boy, a candy maker, a street sweeper, a bartender, a maid, a construction worker, a bull rider, a triathlete and a sucker for anything unfolding. And for peanut butter. And hygiene. Wakefield is a writer, the elated son of a guitar repair woman, wingman of Giant Saint Everything, and remembers Kirkwood, NY. Sanborn too.
Buddy, a Board of Directors member with Youth Speaks Seattle, is honored to be published internationally in dozens of books with work used to win multiple national collegiate debate and forensics competitions. An author of Write Bloody Publishing, Wakefield is known for delivering raw, rounded, high vibration performances of humor and heart.
In 2005 he won the Individual World Poetry Slam Championship again and has gone on to share the stage with nearly every notable performance poet in the world in hundreds of venues internationally from The Great Lawn in Central Park and Scotland’s Oran Mor to San Quentin State Penitentiary, House of Blues New Orleans and First Avenue.
In the spring of 2001 Buddy left his position as the executive assistant at a biomedical firm in Gig Harbor, WA, sold or gave away everything he owned, moved to the small town of Honda Civic and set out to live for a living, touring North American poetry venues through 2003. He still tours full time and considers annual Revival tours with Derrick Brown and Anis Mojgani, as well as separate tours with Ani DiFranco, to be the highlight of his career thus far.
Born in Shreveport, LA, mostly raised in Baytown, TX, now claiming Seattle, WA as home, Buddy has been a busker in Amsterdam, a lumberjack in Norway, a street vendor in Spain, a team leader in Singapore, a re-delivery boy, a candy maker, a street sweeper, a bartender, a maid, a construction worker, a bull rider, a triathlete and a sucker for anything unfolding. And for peanut butter. And hygiene. Wakefield is a writer, the elated son of a guitar repair woman, wingman of Giant Saint Everything, and remembers Kirkwood, NY. Sanborn too.
Buddy, a Board of Directors member with Youth Speaks Seattle, is honored to be published internationally in dozens of books with work used to win multiple national collegiate debate and forensics competitions. An author of Write Bloody Publishing, Wakefield is known for delivering raw, rounded, high vibration performances of humor and heart.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
December 26, 2014
"Gentlemen Practice" is exactly what you would expect from Buddy Wakefield, who has established himself as one of the greatest contemporary poets in America. Known for his wit and metaphor, this book doesn't just live up to the hype, it places Wakefield firmly in the Legends column of performance poets worldwide. The greatest thing about this book, though, is the format. Wakefield has never been one to cater to conventions in his writing, and his willingness to experiment makes this a favorite in my library. The structure reads more like a conversation than a collection, inviting the reader into the furthest corners of Wakefield's imagination, and what an imagination it is. Put simply, this is not just a book, it's an experience - an experience that everyone should have.
June 23, 2017
I guess this is also my review for Live For A Living, since I read them basically at the same time.
I am a little disappointed! I heard Crowbirds At Mockingbars, which became one of my favourite poems ever, and wanted to experience more of his work so I got both of these books from the library, but then they mostly turned out to be p. boring. There are a couple really good poems in here, like the one I mentioned, Water Gun, In Landscape, or Healing Herman Hesse and Bedrooms and Battlescars in Live For A Living. But I guess I was just hoping/expecting to connect more w/ the renowned sensitive, religious, gay guy who grew up poor and instead found him to be pretty bland! I mean, a lot of these poems, while well-written, just express a bunch of generic empowering sentiments, and god, is there anything more boring than a middle-class liberal white man talking about how a Buddhist meditation retreat like, totally changed his life, man? Or writing about having good times w/ his poetry buddies on the road? Some of these are also just kind of gross. I can appreciate that it's part of his personality to be crass and down to earth or w/e but it's p. hard to get anything valuable from a poem about a kid sniffing his own butt. Idk, this is v. far from the worst poetry I've ever read, but it's just not terribly unique or emotionally resonant for me, and like it's hard to see what all the fuss is about when there's so much better and more interesting poetry being done by like lgbt women and poc rn. But then again I guess maybe that was just my expectations. And it's certainly fair to say that a lot of this probably benefits far more from being performed than written on the page. I certainly know Crowbirds At Mockingbars is much better live. But then I'm reviewing the book and not the person so that's still a flaw.
I am a little disappointed! I heard Crowbirds At Mockingbars, which became one of my favourite poems ever, and wanted to experience more of his work so I got both of these books from the library, but then they mostly turned out to be p. boring. There are a couple really good poems in here, like the one I mentioned, Water Gun, In Landscape, or Healing Herman Hesse and Bedrooms and Battlescars in Live For A Living. But I guess I was just hoping/expecting to connect more w/ the renowned sensitive, religious, gay guy who grew up poor and instead found him to be pretty bland! I mean, a lot of these poems, while well-written, just express a bunch of generic empowering sentiments, and god, is there anything more boring than a middle-class liberal white man talking about how a Buddhist meditation retreat like, totally changed his life, man? Or writing about having good times w/ his poetry buddies on the road? Some of these are also just kind of gross. I can appreciate that it's part of his personality to be crass and down to earth or w/e but it's p. hard to get anything valuable from a poem about a kid sniffing his own butt. Idk, this is v. far from the worst poetry I've ever read, but it's just not terribly unique or emotionally resonant for me, and like it's hard to see what all the fuss is about when there's so much better and more interesting poetry being done by like lgbt women and poc rn. But then again I guess maybe that was just my expectations. And it's certainly fair to say that a lot of this probably benefits far more from being performed than written on the page. I certainly know Crowbirds At Mockingbars is much better live. But then I'm reviewing the book and not the person so that's still a flaw.
January 21, 2015
Got this on Kindle, now will be getting the print version, because eInk just doesn't do it justice (also, line-breaks...)
I discovered Buddy watching "We Are Emergencies" on YouTube, a polished recital over some twangy guitar riffs. It was an eye opener. Slam of the best kind, peppered with "y'all" in that scratchy, country voice, speaking pure wisdom.
It's so easy to get caught up in our thorny little issues, to focus on darkness of the world, write to be topical, to be cynical and clever: essentially to vent. I do it myself, it's almost as if the poetry format was tailor-made for negative musings. Thought spirals which we ride, Les Fleurs du Mal as our model, because Baudelaire proved that even the darkest ideas can be made beautiful.
Buddy Wakefield takes the opposite route: he's almost a life-coach. Buddy's bread is forgiveness, compassion, and (re-)learning to love. As he says, hearts don't break, they bruise and get better. That is the crux of this collection, which is as much a published product as a window into Buddy's life. He quotes people, including friends and relatives, talks about his holidays in Alaska, his performances, small, revelatory anecdotes. The book is a treaty on what it means to be a modern gentleman in spite of everything, and there are many things in the modern world which go against our desire to be good. This book is like The War of Art, but for life in general. It's about picking yourself up by the bootstraps, becoming a better man.
A few pages in, I was worried it would turn out to be mushy, feel-goody. It's not. It's super potent and really makes you smile, inside-out. It makes me want to write more, and better. I can say it turned out to be a good investment.
I discovered Buddy watching "We Are Emergencies" on YouTube, a polished recital over some twangy guitar riffs. It was an eye opener. Slam of the best kind, peppered with "y'all" in that scratchy, country voice, speaking pure wisdom.
It's so easy to get caught up in our thorny little issues, to focus on darkness of the world, write to be topical, to be cynical and clever: essentially to vent. I do it myself, it's almost as if the poetry format was tailor-made for negative musings. Thought spirals which we ride, Les Fleurs du Mal as our model, because Baudelaire proved that even the darkest ideas can be made beautiful.
Buddy Wakefield takes the opposite route: he's almost a life-coach. Buddy's bread is forgiveness, compassion, and (re-)learning to love. As he says, hearts don't break, they bruise and get better. That is the crux of this collection, which is as much a published product as a window into Buddy's life. He quotes people, including friends and relatives, talks about his holidays in Alaska, his performances, small, revelatory anecdotes. The book is a treaty on what it means to be a modern gentleman in spite of everything, and there are many things in the modern world which go against our desire to be good. This book is like The War of Art, but for life in general. It's about picking yourself up by the bootstraps, becoming a better man.
A few pages in, I was worried it would turn out to be mushy, feel-goody. It's not. It's super potent and really makes you smile, inside-out. It makes me want to write more, and better. I can say it turned out to be a good investment.
January 30, 2025
By far one of the most inspiring collections of poetry and experiences I have read in 2017.
It's divided up into 8 parts, with notes and references at the end of each, and once you finish reading it, you'll feel what I felt, a "What the heck just happened? Is it done already? Round 2?".
The beauty in this is the humanity, the tangible human experiences listed with wit and humor. It embraces the notion of equanimity and humanity into a goulash of "We're in this together, OK".
Yes. There were moments where I laughed out loud in the bus on my way to work and home.
It's divided up into 8 parts, with notes and references at the end of each, and once you finish reading it, you'll feel what I felt, a "What the heck just happened? Is it done already? Round 2?".
The beauty in this is the humanity, the tangible human experiences listed with wit and humor. It embraces the notion of equanimity and humanity into a goulash of "We're in this together, OK".
Yes. There were moments where I laughed out loud in the bus on my way to work and home.
August 31, 2019
I have never been a big fan of spoken word poetry, so this book was a departure for me. I’m so glad I read it. I didn’t love every poem (there were one or two that I actively hated), but I did love quite a few of them, and the book as a whole taught me to understand and experience poetry in a different way. Jean Heath, We Were Emergencies, Floating Device, so many moments of brilliance here in a totally different language than I’m used to. The style was wearing thin for me by the end, but it was more than worth it.
January 16, 2018
Everything from Buddy Wakefield deserves a read. Horse head and Hurling crowbirds at mockingbars are some of my favorite poems of this book, and although i very much like this book, I think my favorite of his is Live for a living. Check out the poem Human the Death dance, and the art of die smilingly.
September 3, 2022
With great thanks to Buddy Wakefield for being such a presence, a gift, even from afar. As one of the only other people I know who writes poems and sits quietly, as inspired by Goenka, it's a unique gift to see his example, his writing, his stories, and his attributions in action in this book. Thanks for being a buddy, Buddy!
January 16, 2023
Buddy Wakefield is a power house and I’ve been listening to his poetry for years, even had the great pleasure of seeing him perform a few years ago. Thrilled to have downloaded this little book to fill with highlights and come back to again and again. We Were Emergencies is one of my favorite pieces, but I found many more I loved that I hadn’t heard/read before. A very satisfying read.
June 8, 2021
One of my favorites from before slam poetry got ruined.
March 4, 2012
This is quite possibly the worst book ever to be shelved in a poetry section, coming from someone who is not a fan of most poetry books in the first place. I say shelved in the poetry section instead of "book of poems" because more of the book is dedicated to corny, fake homespun can-do expressions Buddy makes up to hype himself, transcripts of conversations and text messages between Buddy and his Write Buddies, stories about all the barely famous people he knows and the mundane things they've done together, pictures, footnotes, quips about how he doesn't like his fans, with roughly 15% of the book leftover for decent reprinted poems and mindnumbingly bland original ones. It's essentially the equivalent of a Tiger Beat "All About Justin Bieber Super Special Issue", only the subject is the life of Buddy Wakefield, which comes across as pretty mundane compared to the lives of most people I know.
Buddy comes across in this book as an emperor with no clothes, only the one in the fable at least didn't charge people $15 for nudie pics and a thousand dollars for an hourlong dance. But he only bares half the responsibility. It's the audiences that are wooed by his name, his accomplishments, his past work (which was quality and moving, though by no means the only beautiful poetry to come out of the slam/spoken word world) hero worship and the desire to be seen as sophisticated through finding great meaning in literally NOTHING that have helped to enable a once gifted and down to earth writer to see himself as an emperor in the first place. Yes, if what you're looking for is the name "Buddy Wakefield" on the cover of a book, the pictures don't lie, but a Sharpie can create the same effect on any book, and unless its The Turner Diaries, the other book's probably a better read. This book would not be so depressing if it weren't for the fact that people are spending money on it and straining themselves to find value inside, and if there weren't so many other skilled poets outside the academic world dying to have their words be read and being drowned out by a bunch of bourgie ego-trips. The world of slam and spoken word is full of brilliance, so there is literally no need to waste your time looking for jewels in the turds of former jewelers. The only really understandable explanation I can think of is that since Buddy's leaving slam to start a small business (I think it's landscaping) he needs extra money to pay for T-shirts for his future wage slaves, and if that's the case I have a whole new reason to hate him. Either that or he has the arrogance to think that thousands of people want to spend money to find out what he and Derrick Brown talk about on the way to the bank. The saddest part is that he's right.
Buddy comes across in this book as an emperor with no clothes, only the one in the fable at least didn't charge people $15 for nudie pics and a thousand dollars for an hourlong dance. But he only bares half the responsibility. It's the audiences that are wooed by his name, his accomplishments, his past work (which was quality and moving, though by no means the only beautiful poetry to come out of the slam/spoken word world) hero worship and the desire to be seen as sophisticated through finding great meaning in literally NOTHING that have helped to enable a once gifted and down to earth writer to see himself as an emperor in the first place. Yes, if what you're looking for is the name "Buddy Wakefield" on the cover of a book, the pictures don't lie, but a Sharpie can create the same effect on any book, and unless its The Turner Diaries, the other book's probably a better read. This book would not be so depressing if it weren't for the fact that people are spending money on it and straining themselves to find value inside, and if there weren't so many other skilled poets outside the academic world dying to have their words be read and being drowned out by a bunch of bourgie ego-trips. The world of slam and spoken word is full of brilliance, so there is literally no need to waste your time looking for jewels in the turds of former jewelers. The only really understandable explanation I can think of is that since Buddy's leaving slam to start a small business (I think it's landscaping) he needs extra money to pay for T-shirts for his future wage slaves, and if that's the case I have a whole new reason to hate him. Either that or he has the arrogance to think that thousands of people want to spend money to find out what he and Derrick Brown talk about on the way to the bank. The saddest part is that he's right.
January 26, 2016
Buddy Wakefield is a great performer, and I picked this book up after seeing him live. But it took me awhile to finish this book (this wasn't the case for me with another Write Bloody poet and performer, Sarah Kay #swoon, so it's not about stage meets page). Nor does my slow read mean that I don't like the book. I think its density though just makes it harder to consume or binge than other poetry books.
It's comprised of many short poems on the same page as well as longer poems and footnotes that become poems themselves. It's more collage than anything else, even including personal photos and quotations. For these reasons, like his performances, Wakefield subverts expectations, weaves honest stories, and delivers many beautiful lines. I don't think I would buy another book of his, but I would definitely see him again and read his work, and I admire the hell out of him. And c'mon, the book's title is epic. As are these lines:
"We came from monkeys and tadpoles,
rainwater and clay,
accidents
and gods held together in the hallelujahs,
pulled apart like a spider web.
We were stripped down
and we were stretched thin." -Open Letter to the People of the Future
It's comprised of many short poems on the same page as well as longer poems and footnotes that become poems themselves. It's more collage than anything else, even including personal photos and quotations. For these reasons, like his performances, Wakefield subverts expectations, weaves honest stories, and delivers many beautiful lines. I don't think I would buy another book of his, but I would definitely see him again and read his work, and I admire the hell out of him. And c'mon, the book's title is epic. As are these lines:
"We came from monkeys and tadpoles,
rainwater and clay,
accidents
and gods held together in the hallelujahs,
pulled apart like a spider web.
We were stripped down
and we were stretched thin." -Open Letter to the People of the Future
February 15, 2012
Gentleman Practice is rightly titled. This book is an all out assualt on mediocracy. Once again, Buddy Wakefield masters himself on the page. Bringing forth all the tangled intestines, all the heart flaps, every crushed hope, and that hope returned.
Personally, this book has had a huge affect on my life. Buddy's word are so uplifting, always in the forward direction. No other author has affected my day to day routine like this man.
His shows are a new level an insanity. Buddywakefield.com and check out of his other booksLive for a Living and Some They Can't Contain.
Personally, this book has had a huge affect on my life. Buddy's word are so uplifting, always in the forward direction. No other author has affected my day to day routine like this man.
His shows are a new level an insanity. Buddywakefield.com and check out of his other booksLive for a Living and Some They Can't Contain.
February 12, 2015
I always encourage book groups to change things up and read a graphic novel and a book of poetry each year. And when it comes to contemporary poetry you can't do better than slam poet Buddy Wakefield.
Now I know that poetry seems dull to some people, or alien, like opera. With that in mind, here's that quote Pretty Woman about opera:
"People's reactions to opera the first time they see it is very dramatic; they either love it or they hate it. If they love it, they will always love it. If they don't, they may learn to appreciate it, but it will never become part of their soul."
Now replace the word opera with slam poetry and watch this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHI95...
If you like that poem, you'll love this book.
Now I know that poetry seems dull to some people, or alien, like opera. With that in mind, here's that quote Pretty Woman about opera:
"People's reactions to opera the first time they see it is very dramatic; they either love it or they hate it. If they love it, they will always love it. If they don't, they may learn to appreciate it, but it will never become part of their soul."
Now replace the word opera with slam poetry and watch this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHI95...
If you like that poem, you'll love this book.
February 20, 2012
Buddy Wakefield is adrenaline. His ideas are so strong, so passionate, they spurt from the pages because they are being pumped right from his heart. The diary-like layout of Gentleman Practice was a great way to emphasize the dedication of his pursuit and his biographical notes at the end of each section pull you closer into the experience of it. This poetry collection is a handbook for the gentleman and gentlewoman exercising practice in every day life.
July 5, 2012
Pretty cool, but very random group of small Buddy Wakefield pieces.
This is a like not love for me.
I am so happy thought I got to see Buddy Wakefield live before he retired as a touring poet.
Solid.
This is a like not love for me.
I am so happy thought I got to see Buddy Wakefield live before he retired as a touring poet.
Solid.
May 18, 2013
This book is another one of my favorites- of buddy's & in general. He is my favorite poet. This collections has many of my favorite poems by Buddy. Such as "Jean Heath", "Horsehead" , "Water Gun", "Amplified Stillness (Start Again)", & "Open Letter to the People of the Future".
March 20, 2014
This was lent to me by a friend, and now I feel I have to buy my own copy. There were some really great pieces, and even the ones that didn't drive into the heart of me were still well-written and interesting. It's also hard for me not to like any poet that is an Ani DiFranco fan.
September 1, 2018
‘If there’s anything I’ve come to understand / it’s that I left my body to tell you these things/ and did not lock the door behind me.’
June 7, 2012
Buddy Wakefield <3
November 17, 2012
It's not as great as seeing him perform the poems live, but a close second.
January 26, 2015
Brilliant contemporary poetry from an established figure.
April 3, 2016
BOOOOTIFUL!
January 27, 2012
This book of poetry reminded me of what being a human means.
December 26, 2014
Saw Buddy Wakefield perform at The Fridge in Washington DC year ago. Fun stuff.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews