Songs from a Mountain
Amanda Nadelberg
(Author)
21,000+ Reviews
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Description
"Amanda Nadelberg's poems . . . are jumping, funny, romantic, and frequently lyrical....which in the immediate reading is almost pure music."--Ken Tucker, Entertainment Weekly
From "Matson"
So what patent reason is there to doubt
the color of a person's hair, there is sun
and timpani. Rubber wood bone silk
hemp or ivory I will cut my own in June
but in May endured the next yesterday
I've already now forgotten what all the
men I'll ever know smelled like. Maybe
devotion on the beach in the middle of
the week which is dumbed down with
planets imagining song.
Product Details
Price
$16.00
$14.88
Publisher
Coffee House Press
Publish Date
May 03, 2016
Pages
112
Dimensions
6.0 X 0.4 X 8.8 inches | 0.4 pounds
Language
English
Type
Paperback
EAN/UPC
9781566894340
BISAC Categories:
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Become an affiliateAbout the Author
Amanda Nadelberg: Amanda Nadelberg is the author of Bright Brave Phenomena (Coffee House Press), Isa the Truck Named Isadore (Slope Editions), and, most recently, a chapbook called The Bartleby Poems (The Song Cave). She lives in Oakland.
Reviews
["Songs from a Mountain"] sweeps us through panoramic narratives built variously from imaginary forms and daily strolls to show us something different, outside or inside. "Library Journal""
["Songs from a Mountain"] sweeps us through panoramic narratives built variously from imaginary forms and daily strolls to show us something different, outside or inside. "Library Journal"
"Songs from a Mountain is not only a collection of one poet s expression and search for newness in the world, it is a reminder that writing, and poetry in particular, is not stagnant.""Heavy Feather Review"
Reading the poems in Amanda Nadelberg s Songs from a Mountain is like rappelling from the roof of a very tall apartment building each poem acts as a small glimpse through the window of a brief moment of time in someone s life. "Bustle"
"
The act of reading these verbal experiments both pleasantly trips us up and trips a thinking switch that illuminates exciting new poetic territory. "Booklist"
["Songs from a Mountain"] sweeps us through panoramic narratives built variously from imaginary forms and daily strolls to show us something different, outside or inside. "Library Journal"
"Songs from a Mountain is not only a collection of one poet s expression and search for newness in the world, it is a reminder that writing, and poetry in particular, is not stagnant.""Heavy Feather Review"
Reading the poems in Amanda Nadelberg s Songs from a Mountain is like rappelling from the roof of a very tall apartment building each poem acts as a small glimpse through the window of a brief moment of time in someone s life. "Bustle"
"
"Nadelberg s smart, delightful, deliberately disorganized third book at once carries forward the rangy, nonlinear oddity of her second...and recovers the stellar charm of her debut. " American Poets"
The act of reading these verbal experiments both pleasantly trips us up and trips a thinking switch that illuminates exciting new poetic territory. "Booklist"
["Songs from a Mountain"] sweeps us through panoramic narratives built variously from imaginary forms and daily strolls to show us something different, outside or inside. "Library Journal"
"Songs from a Mountain is not only a collection of one poet s expression and search for newness in the world, it is a reminder that writing, and poetry in particular, is not stagnant.""Heavy Feather Review"
Reading the poems in Amanda Nadelberg s Songs from a Mountain is like rappelling from the roof of a very tall apartment building each poem acts as a small glimpse through the window of a brief moment of time in someone s life. "Bustle"
"
["Songs from a Mountain" is] a wild, careening, conceptually wily (yet somehow ruly) book that refuses to keep its feet on the ground. . . . Through the de- and recontextualization of what was first familiar and is now strange, Nadelberg establishes herself as an exemplar of early 21st-century artistic practice. "Publishers Weekly"
Nadelberg s smart, delightful, deliberately disorganized third book at once carries forward the rangy, nonlinear oddity of her secondand recovers the stellar charm of her debut. "American Poets"
"Bustle, ""18 Contemporary Women Poets You Should Be Reading"
Many folks read poets for their voices, and Nadelberg s is delightful. "Philadelphia Inquirer"
"Songs from a Mountain" is not only a collection of one poet s expression and search for newness in the world, it is a reminder that writing, and poetry in particular, is not stagnant. "Heavy Feather Review"
The act of reading these verbal experiments both pleasantly trips us up and trips a thinking switch that illuminates exciting new poetic territory. "Booklist"
Reading the poems in Amanda Nadelberg s "Songs from a Mountain" is like rappelling from the roof of a very tall apartment building each poem acts as a small glimpse through the window of a brief moment of time in someone s life. "Bustle"
Amanda Nadelberg s poetry resembles a city where all kinds of things are happening at once, some of them funny and others pretty scary. The quasi-epic Matson takes the form of a swarm. Suddenly words, thousands of them, have accrued to this particular subject; no one knows why. Its mass is almost frightening but good to be with. Songs from a Mountain is a dizzying achievement that rings out loud and precise and clear. John Ashbery
Nadelbergsurfs the sonic currents of contemporary language and stands in the back rush of a period spent observing. "Dallas Morning News"
Boldly modern and powerful. "Largehearted Boy"
I used to think of Amanda Nadelberg as basically a narrative poet. She invents characters and tells stories about them. A more discerning reader might have noticed the restless, playful spirit of linguistic experiment that is the most obvious feature of the surface of her poems, but in previous outings this energy was in harness to the tale she was telling.
Maybe she s still a narrative poet. But in "Songs from a Mountain, " rhetoric runs wild. Narratives are condensed into small unitiesepithets, comparisons, punsheld together by the lowly comma splice in lines of no more than two margins but sometimes as many as four caesural pauses. To characterize the complexity, richness, and surprise of this poetry, it would be appropriate to invoke Crane s logic of metaphor, and that should give you a sense of how rare a mixture this is.
Done well? Yes, please. Given a choice, I prefer to see something done well rather than poorly, and this volume skillfully does a kind of work that most of us have forgotten how to do. Well done, Nadelberg. Aaron Kunin
"
[Songs from a Mountain is] a wild, careening, conceptually wily (yet somehow ruly) book that refuses to keep its feet on the ground. . . . Through the de- and recontextualization of what was first familiar and is now strange, Nadelberg establishes herself as an exemplar of early 21st-century artistic practice. Publishers Weekly
The act of reading these verbal experiments both pleasantly trips us up and trips a thinking switch that illuminates exciting new poetic territory. Booklist
Nadelberg s smart, delightful, deliberately disorganized third book at once carries forward the rangy, nonlinear oddity of her secondand recovers the stellar charm of her debut. American Poets
"Amanda Nadelberg's poems . . . are jumping, funny, romantic, and frequently lyrical.which in the immediate reading is almost pure music." Entertainment Weekly
Many folks read poets for their voices, and Nadelberg s is delightful. Philadelphia Inquirer
Reading the poems in Amanda Nadelberg s Songs from a Mountain is like rappelling from the roof of a very tall apartment building each poem acts as a small glimpse through the window of a brief moment of time in someone s life. Bustle
Songs from a Mountain is not only a collection of one poet s expression and search for newness in the world, it is a reminder that writing, and poetry in particular, is not stagnant. Heavy Feather Review
Nadelbergsurfs the sonic currents of contemporary language and stands in the back rush of a period spent observing. Dallas Morning News
Boldly modern and powerful. Largehearted Boy
"In Songs from a Mountain Nadelberg s writing is energetic and ethereal. At times it felt as though I was taken to a garden inside myself where memories bloom with time, and thoughts flit around like dragonflies as I lay in the lush green grass. Songs from a Mountain is a fine balancing act between light and dark energies, a balancing accomplished with the utmost grace." Poetry City, USA
Amanda Nadelberg s poetry resembles a city where all kinds of things are happening at once, some of them funny and others pretty scary. The quasi-epic Matson takes the form of a swarm. Suddenly words, thousands of them, have accrued to this particular subject; no one knows why. Its mass is almost frightening but good to be with. Songs from a Mountain is a dizzying achievement that rings out loud and precise and clear. John Ashbery
I used to think of Amanda Nadelberg as basically a narrative poet. She invents characters and tells stories about them. A more discerning reader might have noticed the restless, playful spirit of linguistic experiment that is the most obvious feature of the surface of her poems, but in previous outings this energy was in harness to the tale she was telling.
Maybe she s still a narrative poet. But in Songs from a Mountain, rhetoric runs wild. Narratives are condensed into small unitiesepithets, comparisons, punsheld together by the lowly comma splice in lines of no more than two margins but sometimes as many as four caesural pauses. To characterize the complexity, richness, and surprise of this poetry, it would be appropriate to invoke Crane s logic of metaphor, and that should give you a sense of how rare a mixture this is.
Done well? Yes, please. Given a choice, I prefer to see something done well rather than poorly, and this volume skillfully does a kind of work that most of us have forgotten how to do. Well done, Nadelberg. Aaron Kunin
"
"[Songs from a Mountain is] a wild, careening, conceptually wily (yet somehow ruly) book that refuses to keep its feet on the ground. . . . Through the de- and recontextualization of what was first familiar and is now strange, Nadelberg establishes herself as an exemplar of early 21st-century artistic practice." --Publishers Weekly
"The act of reading these verbal experiments both pleasantly trips us up and trips a thinking switch that illuminates exciting new poetic territory." --Booklist
"Nadelberg's smart, delightful, deliberately disorganized third book at once carries forward the rangy, nonlinear oddity of her second...and recovers the stellar charm of her debut." --American Poets
"Amanda Nadelberg's poems . . . are jumping, funny, romantic, and frequently lyrical....which in the immediate reading is almost pure music." --Entertainment Weekly
"Many folks read poets for their voices, and Nadelberg's is delightful." --Philadelphia Inquirer
"Reading the poems in Amanda Nadelberg's Songs from a Mountain is like rappelling from the roof of a very tall apartment building -- each poem acts as a small glimpse through the window of a brief moment of time in someone's life." --Bustle
"Songs from a Mountain is not only a collection of one poet's expression and search for newness in the world, it is a reminder that writing, and poetry in particular, is not stagnant." --Heavy Feather Review
"Nadelberg...surfs the sonic currents of contemporary language and stands in the back rush of a period spent observing." --Dallas Morning News
"Boldly modern and powerful." --Largehearted Boy
"In Songs from a Mountain Nadelberg's writing is energetic and ethereal. At times it felt as though I was taken to a garden inside myself where memories bloom with time, and thoughts flit around like dragonflies as I lay in the lush green grass. Songs from a Mountain is a fine balancing act between light and dark energies, a balancing accomplished with the utmost grace." --Poetry City, USA
"What is the virtue of digging in there as a poet, between the tangible and intangible? ...The virtue lies in the emphasis, made surprising by Nadelberg's nimble leaps, on how we understand and not just what we understand." --Ron Slate
"Amanda Nadelberg's poetry resembles a city where all kinds of things are happening at once, some of them funny and others pretty scary. The quasi-epic 'Matson' takes the form of a swarm. Suddenly words, thousands of them, have accrued to this particular subject; no one knows why. Its mass is almost frightening but good to be with. Songs from a Mountain is a dizzying achievement that rings out loud and precise and clear." --John Ashbery
"I used to think of Amanda Nadelberg as basically a narrative poet. She invents characters and tells stories about them. A more discerning reader might have noticed the restless, playful spirit of linguistic experiment that is the most obvious feature of the surface of her poems, but in previous outings this energy was in harness to the tale she was telling.
Maybe she's still a narrative poet. But in Songs from a Mountain, rhetoric runs wild. Narratives are condensed into small unities-epithets, comparisons, puns-held together by the lowly comma splice in lines of no more than two margins but sometimes as many as four caesural pauses. To characterize the complexity, richness, and surprise of this poetry, it would be appropriate to invoke Crane's 'logic of metaphor, ' and that should give you a sense of how rare a mixture this is.
Done well? Yes, please. Given a choice, I prefer to see something done well rather than poorly, and this volume skillfully does a kind of work that most of us have forgotten how to do. Well done, Nadelberg." --Aaron Kunin
"[Songs from a Mountain is] a wild, careening, conceptually wily (yet somehow ruly) book that refuses to keep its feet on the ground. . . . Through the de- and recontextualization of what was first familiar and is now strange, Nadelberg establishes herself as an exemplar of early 21st-century artistic practice." --Publishers Weekly "The act of reading these verbal experiments both pleasantly trips us up and trips a thinking switch that illuminates exciting new poetic territory." --Booklist "Nadelberg's smart, delightful, deliberately disorganized third book at once carries forward the rangy, nonlinear oddity of her second...and recovers the stellar charm of her debut." --American Poets "Amanda Nadelberg's poems . . . are jumping, funny, romantic, and frequently lyrical....which in the immediate reading is almost pure music." --Entertainment Weekly "Many folks read poets for their voices, and Nadelberg's is delightful." --Philadelphia Inquirer "Reading the poems in Amanda Nadelberg's Songs from a Mountain is like rappelling from the roof of a very tall apartment building -- each poem acts as a small glimpse through the window of a brief moment of time in someone's life." --Bustle "Songs from a Mountain is not only a collection of one poet's expression and search for newness in the world, it is a reminder that writing, and poetry in particular, is not stagnant." --Heavy Feather Review "Nadelberg...surfs the sonic currents of contemporary language and stands in the back rush of a period spent observing." --Dallas Morning News "Boldly modern and powerful." --Largehearted Boy "In Songs from a Mountain Nadelberg's writing is energetic and ethereal. At times it felt as though I was taken to a garden inside myself where memories bloom with time, and thoughts flit around like dragonflies as I lay in the lush green grass. Songs from a Mountain is a fine balancing act between light and dark energies, a balancing accomplished with the utmost grace." --Poetry City, USA "Amanda Nadelberg's poetry resembles a city where all kinds of things are happening at once, some of them funny and others pretty scary. The quasi-epic 'Matson' takes the form of a swarm. Suddenly words, thousands of them, have accrued to this particular subject; no one knows why. Its mass is almost frightening but good to be with. Songs from a Mountain is a dizzying achievement that rings out loud and precise and clear." --John Ashbery "I used to think of Amanda Nadelberg as basically a narrative poet. She invents characters and tells stories about them. A more discerning reader might have noticed the restless, playful spirit of linguistic experiment that is the most obvious feature of the surface of her poems, but in previous outings this energy was in harness to the tale she was telling. Maybe she's still a narrative poet. But in Songs from a Mountain, rhetoric runs wild. Narratives are condensed into small unities-epithets, comparisons, puns-held together by the lowly comma splice in lines of no more than two margins but sometimes as many as four caesural pauses. To characterize the complexity, richness, and surprise of this poetry, it would be appropriate to invoke Crane's 'logic of metaphor, ' and that should give you a sense of how rare a mixture this is. Done well? Yes, please. Given a choice, I prefer to see something done well rather than poorly, and this volume skillfully does a kind of work that most of us have forgotten how to do. Well done, Nadelberg." --Aaron Kunin
"[Songs from a Mountain is] a wild, careening, conceptually wily (yet somehow ruly) book that refuses to keep its feet on the ground. . . . Through the de- and recontextualization of what was first familiar and is now strange, Nadelberg establishes herself as an exemplar of early 21st-century artistic practice." --Publishers Weekly "The act of reading these verbal experiments both pleasantly trips us up and trips a thinking switch that illuminates exciting new poetic territory." --Booklist "Nadelberg's smart, delightful, deliberately disorganized third book at once carries forward the rangy, nonlinear oddity of her second...and recovers the stellar charm of her debut." --American Poets "Amanda Nadelberg's poems . . . are jumping, funny, romantic, and frequently lyrical....which in the immediate reading is almost pure music." --Entertainment Weekly "Many folks read poets for their voices, and Nadelberg's is delightful." --Philadelphia Inquirer "Reading the poems in Amanda Nadelberg's Songs from a Mountain is like rappelling from the roof of a very tall apartment building -- each poem acts as a small glimpse through the window of a brief moment of time in someone's life." --Bustle "Songs from a Mountain is not only a collection of one poet's expression and search for newness in the world, it is a reminder that writing, and poetry in particular, is not stagnant." --Heavy Feather Review "Nadelberg...surfs the sonic currents of contemporary language and stands in the back rush of a period spent observing." --Dallas Morning News "Boldly modern and powerful." --Largehearted Boy "In Songs from a Mountain Nadelberg's writing is energetic and ethereal. At times it felt as though I was taken to a garden inside myself where memories bloom with time, and thoughts flit around like dragonflies as I lay in the lush green grass. Songs from a Mountain is a fine balancing act between light and dark energies, a balancing accomplished with the utmost grace." --Poetry City, USA "What is the virtue of digging in there as a poet, between the tangible and intangible? ...The virtue lies in the emphasis, made surprising by Nadelberg's nimble leaps, on how we understand and not just what we understand." --Ron Slate "Amanda Nadelberg's poetry resembles a city where all kinds of things are happening at once, some of them funny and others pretty scary. The quasi-epic 'Matson' takes the form of a swarm. Suddenly words, thousands of them, have accrued to this particular subject; no one knows why. Its mass is almost frightening but good to be with. Songs from a Mountain is a dizzying achievement that rings out loud and precise and clear." --John Ashbery "I used to think of Amanda Nadelberg as basically a narrative poet. She invents characters and tells stories about them. A more discerning reader might have noticed the restless, playful spirit of linguistic experiment that is the most obvious feature of the surface of her poems, but in previous outings this energy was in harness to the tale she was telling. Maybe she's still a narrative poet. But in Songs from a Mountain, rhetoric runs wild. Narratives are condensed into small unities-epithets, comparisons, puns-held together by the lowly comma splice in lines of no more than two margins but sometimes as many as four caesural pauses. To characterize the complexity, richness, and surprise of this poetry, it would be appropriate to invoke Crane's 'logic of metaphor, ' and that should give you a sense of how rare a mixture this is. Done well? Yes, please. Given a choice, I prefer to see something done well rather than poorly, and this volume skillfully does a kind of work that most of us have forgotten how to do. Well done, Nadelberg." --Aaron Kunin