{"product_id":"50-american-plays-poems-paperback","title":"50 American Plays (Poems) - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eMichael Dickman\u003c\/b\u003e (Author), \u003cb\u003eMatthew Dickman\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Their verse . . . is strikingly different. Michael's poems are interior, fragmentary, and austere, often stripped down to single-word lines; they seethe with incipient violence. Matthew's are effusive, ecstatic, and all-embracing, spilling over with pop-cultural references and exuberant carnality.\" --\u003ci\u003eThe New Yorker\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIdentical twins Michael and Matthew Dickman once invented their own language. Now they have invented an exhilarating book of poem-plays about the fifty states. Pointed, comic, and surreal, these one-page vignettes feature unusual staging and an eclectic cast of characters--landforms, lobsters, and historical figures including Duke Ellington, Sacajawea, Judy Garland, and Kenneth Koch, the avant-garde spirit informing this book introduced by playwright John Guare.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"Lucky in Kansas\"\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eJudy Garland: This is always the worst part\u003cbr\u003eTin Man: The coming back\u003cbr\u003eJudy Garland: Yes, it fucking sucks, it's depressing as shit\u003cbr\u003eThe Lion: Well, we're lucky to still be employed at this farm\u003cbr\u003eStraw Man: I wouldn't call it lucky\u003cbr\u003eThe Lion: We were lucky to get back\u003cbr\u003eStraw Man: That's not really lucky either I don't think you know what lucky means\u003cbr\u003eJudy Garland: It's funny what you miss\u003cbr\u003eTin Man: The running\u003cbr\u003eJudy Garland: The flying\u003cbr\u003eTin Man: The flying monkeys\u003cbr\u003eJudy Garland: The beautiful flying monkeys above the endless emeralds the unbelievably green world\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMichael Dickman\u003c\/b\u003e and \u003cb\u003eMatthew Dickman\u003c\/b\u003e are identical twins who were born and raised in Portland, Oregon. Michael received the 2010 James Laughlin Award for his second collection \u003ci\u003eFlies\u003c\/i\u003e (Copper Canyon Press, 2011). Matthew won the prestigious APR\/Honickman Award for his debut volume, \u003ci\u003eAll-American Poem\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eMichael Dickman: Michael Dickman is the winner of the 2010 James Laughlin Award from the Academy of American Poets for his second collection, Flies. His first book, The End of the West, was published in 2009. He has received fellowships from the Michener Center for Writers, the Fine Arts Work Center, and the Vermont Studio Center. His poems are regularly published in The New Yorker, and his work has appeared widely, including in The American Poetry Review, Field, Tin House, and Narrative Magazine. He was born and raised in Portland, Oregon, and now teaches poetry at Princeton University. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eMatthew Dickman: Matthew Dickman grew up in Portland, Oregon with his twin brother Michael. His first book, All-American Poem, won numerous prizes including the APR\/Honickman First Book Prize, Kate Tufts Discovery Award, and Oregon Book Award. He has earned fellowships from The Michener Center for Writers, The Vermont Studio Center, and The Fine Arts Work Center. His poems have appeared in Tin House, McSweeney's, Ploughshares, and The New Yorker, among others. W.W. Norton \u0026amp; Co. will publish his second book in 2012. Matthew lives in Portland where he writes and works as an editor at Tin House.\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 110\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.31 x 8 x 5.02 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e June 05, 2012\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52157269049575,"sku":"9781556593932","price":16.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0793\/8329\/8279\/files\/89700694f0142eb7c9f1dc4d7b3a2da4.webp?v=1780500100","url":"https:\/\/skinnonsmooth.myshopify.com\/products\/50-american-plays-poems-paperback","provider":"SkinnOnSmooth","version":"1.0","type":"link"}