The Splinter Factory

by Jeffrey McDaniel

Whether Jeffrey McDaniel's denouncing insomnia ("4,000 A.M."), exploring family tragedy ("Ghost Townhouse"), or celebrating love and lust ("The Biology of Numbers"), his writing is so profoundly original, so funny, twisted, and literary simultaneously, you won't know whether to laugh or cry, but you'll definitely keep reading.

Genres: Poetry

96 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2002

About the author

He is the recipient of a creative writing fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. His writing has been included in Ploughshares, The Best American Poetry 1994, and The New Young American Poets, as well as on the National Endowment for the Arts website.

Although McDaniel has not performed in a poetry slam in over 10 years, he has made spoken word appearances at Lollapalooza, the Moscow Writers Union, and the Globe in Prague, as well as numerous poetry slams across the United States in the early-to-mid '90s.

A compilation of selected poems, Katostrophenkunde, was translated into German by Ron Winkler and published in 2006.

He teaches creative writing and is a faculty advisor at Sarah Lawrence College.

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't need to read all the poetry in the world to know that this is the best that mankind will ever be able to come up with.

Ask to borrow my copy. I will lend it to you and your life will change.

[Jess Tell · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the good ones i read time & time again. McDaniel's poetry is alive, clever, heartbreaking & bold. Not the average shmuck verse, self-examining without being pretentious. Full of beautiful concepts & breath-catching lines.

[Benjamin Niespodziany · Rating 5 out of 5]

PHEW! This is what I look for when I read poetry. I read Church of Inadvertent Joy first, which was a great introduction, but this one really did it for me. Great pacing, great rhythm, and one of only a few books of poetry that have made me laugh out of (while shortly later saying, "Wow, damn").

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wow.
That was shit

[María Andrea González · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jeffrey McDaniel's is probably one of the best Write Bloody authors I have ever read. To some, many of his poems may seem too dark; to me, they're honest and witty, due to the fact that he somehow manages to capture the obscure side of human emotions in the most perfect and poignant way. I recommend "The Foxhole Manifesto", "The arsonist stood up in court and said", and finally "The First Straw"

[Rich · Rating 4 out of 5]

McDaniel comes from the slam/performance poetry tradition, but he makes the translation into print a lot better most other performance poets. His contain an attention to craft, and his surreal images provide for not only a unique voice, but an engaging sense of humor.

[Phoenix · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favorite books of poetry. McDaniel does some really incredible wordplay that creates a different range of emotion with each page.

The Archipelago Of Kisses is by my favorite out of the bunch.

[Karin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This man is one of my most favorite poets. I think he is amazing. I read this book several years ago and have re-read it several times since. I find something new to like about it every time.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can never read McDaniel enough.

[Simmone]

Brilliant. Jeffrey McDaniel has such a dark humor it keeps your mind racing. He pairs a whimsical image with a very dark serious undertone and meaning. I loved every second of this book!

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love, Love this book.

[Ralph · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Splinter Factory ni Jeffrey Mcdaniel

“Even when I’m dead, I’ll swim through the earth
like a mermaid of the soil, just to be next to your bones.”

Nasa kolehiyo pa ako nang una kong mabasa ang The Benjamin Franklin of Monogamy ni Jeffrey Mcdaniel. Siyempre, napahanga ako. Sino nga ba naman ang hindi matatangay ng ganitong estilo ng pagsulat: sariwa, pangahas, at nag-uumapaw sa enerhiya? Hindi pa sikat sa Pilipinas noon ang spoken word, hindi pa siksikan ang mga tao sa mga tulaan sa bar, at hindi pa tinatawag na hugot ang hugot. Malinaw naman sa aking noon pa man, nababalani na ako sa hikayat ng mga tulang itinatanghal sa mga entablado. At ngayong sa wakas ay nabasa ko na ang koleksiyong ito ni Jeffrey Mcdaniel, lumilinaw sa akin ang tradisyong pinagmumulan ng kanyang mga tula at ang pagkahumaling ko sa mga ito, na ang palasantingan pinakapuso ng mga tula ng The Splinter Factory ay ang estetika ng Spoken Word: ang kapusukan, ang tapang na magbitiw ng mga nakabibiglang pahayag, at ang kapangahasan ng mga kakatwang talinghaga.

“My idea of courtship was tapping
Jane’s addiction lyrics in Morse code on your window at three hundred a.m.”

May nabasa akong puna tungkol sa koleksiyong ito ni Mcdaniel--na magaganda ang mga tula ngunit mas maganda siguro kung paisa-isa mo silang mapupulot habang palakad-lakad sa lungsod. Sang-ayon ako. Walang iisang malinaw na proyekto ang koleksiyon at may mga pagkakataong maririndi ka sa daldal ng mga taludtod. Gayunman, napakasarap pa ring basahin ng koleksiyon. Oo, minsan parang walang pinatutunghan ang mga talinghaga. Oo, minsan parang andami niyang sinabing wala. Pero madalas namang nababawi ni Mcdaniel ang kaniyang mga tula dahil sa tindi ng kakaibang haraya ng kaniyang mga tayutay.

“In college, I took so many drugs / the professors looked at samples of my urine just to know what books I’d been reading.”

Ang paborito kong mga tula sa koleksiyong ito ay ang mga tula tungkol sa hubad na pagnanasa, paanong hindi ito mapaaamo. May ilang mga tula rito tungkol sa hapis, sa politika at racismo ng Amerika ngunit kung may iisang mensahe ang akda, tungkol ito sa paulit-ulit nating pagkabasag natin sa umang ng lunggati, kung paanong patuloy nating hahabulin ang ninanasa kahit magkasubyang-subyang, at sa gayon makasusugat sinuman ang humawak.

"I mean, isn't it odd--how you can buy a lap dance, phone sex, or blow job in a snap, but can't /pay a person a dollar to just sit next to you on a park bench and simply hold your hand?"

"The Splinter Factory" ni Jeffrey Mcdaniel (Manic D Press, 2002)
8/10

Mga Nagustuhan kong Tula:
1. The Good Life
2. The Scars of Utopia
3. Uncle Sam’s Pizza
4. Dear man whose marriage I wrecked
5. When a man hasn’t been kissed
6. The Wild Cousin of Potpourri
7. Old Flamethrower
8. The Benjamin Franklin of Monogamy
9. The Mirror in Which I’ll Be Judged
10. The First Straw
11. What Year Was Heaven Desegregated?
12. The Everlasting Staircase
13. The Coffin Tree
14. Inheritance
15. The Foxhole Manifesto

[Luna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've never been much of a poetry reader, but I picked up this and The Endarkment (which I have yet to read) and have been consuming his poems slowly. His words pop, his lines are edgy but poignant, with metaphors that are fresh yet apt, and so many of his poems have last lines in them that have me murmuring with affect. I love this collection, but my favorites are "When a Man Hasn't Been Kissed", "The Benjamin Franklin of Monogamy", "The Mirror in Which I'll Be Judged", "The First Straw", "What Year Was Heaven Desegregated?", "The Foxhole Manifesto" and "The Everlasting Staircase". Yum.

[Melody · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I was introduced to Jeffrey McDaniel by my high school creative writing teacher via The Quiet World, then fell heart first for The Archipelago of Kisses and promptly printed it out in the computer lab to keep in my three ring binder. Some of his poems are among my very favorites so I don’t know why it never crossed my mind to read any of his books. But his (I’ve now realized) trademark vulgarity was hilariously absent from the works I’ve loved for all these years. The book was a wild ride that is definitely not for everyone, including me at times, but he is clearly a total genius.

[Kaylee · Rating 3 out of 5]

"𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝓌𝑜𝓇𝓁𝒹 𝓇𝑒𝒸𝑒𝒹𝑒𝓈 𝓌𝒽𝑒𝓃 𝐼'𝓂 𝒽𝓊𝓃𝑔𝓇𝓎, 𝒷𝓊𝓉 𝑜𝓃𝒸𝑒 𝐼'𝓂 𝒻𝑒𝒹, 𝒾𝓉 𝒶𝓁𝓁 𝒸𝑜𝓂𝑒𝓈 𝒷𝒶𝒸𝓀."

It's well written poetry, I think it's just not for me. The reason I love poetry is because it puts the human experience into words I don't have myself and helps me feel deeply. When the content or perspective is one I don't relate to (e.g. relationships written by a man) it doesn't land like it should. I would give it a shot if you love poetry heavy in metaphors and are okay with sensitive topics.

[Desiree Roune · Rating 2 out of 5]

I gave this a two because some poems were good. Stringing words and images together is not poetry. Poetry should speak of the speaker in the poem, it should tell us something about the poet and speak to the reader. These are, for the most part, not poems. If you are a serious reader of poetry skip this one, or rage read it like I did.

[Strait Gabriella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Contemporary poetry with a lot of sass and attitude. I loved the organization of the poems in this book, beginning with themes of birth, dipping into childhood, adolescence, adulthood, death, God, and ending quite literally in hellish flames. I'm new to poetry so this was a treat.

[J & J · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read the last poem, then read the acknowledgments on the last page...then read the last poem again.

[Acie Wong · Rating 4 out of 5]

I discovered Jeffrey McDaniel in college, when this book was only five years old. I loved it then, all love and hate and angst. I re-read this every few years, and yes, still one of my favorites.

[Mills College Library]

811.54 M1342s 2002

[Tamas O'Doughda · Rating 4 out of 5]

My friend Henry introduced me to Jeffrey McDaniel's poetry in college and I became an instant fan. I devoured the 3 books he'd published to that point and found his wordplay and approachable wildness invigorating (to the point that years later I rated all three books 5 stars here when creating my account). Jeffrey McDaniel even visited the UMD campus (thanks again to Henry) and gave an amazing reading that made me even more of a fan, one of my favorite poets ever.

He's still a favorite, but re-reading the books over the past week, I unfortunately found that I didn't love them as much as I did in college, when his humorously warped way of thinking and writing were a big influence on my own writing. I still get a kick out of a lot of the wit and cliche breaking, but at my age, I see some of the immaturity and limitations that I wouldn't have noticed in my youth. This go round the scattershot ideas left me wanting more cohesion in some cases, or wanting other subjects to be explored (my boy is crazy lecherous! to the point of too much at times). BUT, I still really like them, and when he merges his style with a subject of substance, his poems are awesome/as good as it gets. The Splinter Factory is the collection I like the best. I think it's the highest fulfillment of his style, where the ratio of style and substance feel the most balanced. And many of his most memorable poems that stuck with me over the years are in this collection.

So, I still greatly enjoy his work. It's poetic, funny, thoughtful, and actually makes sense most of the time, which is more than I can say for some of the more famous and highly regarded poets I've read. Long live Jeffrey McDaniel, the clever poet of the common folk enduring the ache of life.

[Donald Armfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

A self portrait of scenic happenigs told in metaphors of drunken thoughts, laugh out loud moments or something with a dirty passion. I'll be reading more of McDaniel.

FAVORITES:
-Renovating the Womb
-Driftwood Armada
-Thanksgiving with the Clones
-The Want Ads
-When a man hasn't been kissed
-The Benjamin Franklin of Monogramy
-The First Straw
-Inheritance

[Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a very avid fan and this volume does not disappoint. His love of language permeates his salty feelings about the human condition, both observing it and being a part of it.

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why do I love McDaniel so much? For lines like these:

"My homeland is compulsion. My national anthem plays whenever a drunk tumbles down a staircase."

and

"The problem with being sober is you can't have drunken sex."

and

"My idea of courtship was tapping Jane's Addiction lyrics in Morse code on your window at three hundred a.m., whiskey doing push-ups on my breath."

and especially,

"And I comfort myself with the thought that we'll name our first child Jenin, and her middle name will be Terezin, and we'll teach her how to glow in the dark, and how to swallow firecrackers, and to never neglect the first straw, because no one ever talks about the first straw, it's always the last straw that gets all the attention, but by then it's way too late."

[Holly Raymond · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whenever I'd come across McDaniel's poems in anthologies or just 'in the wild' I'd enjoyed them, but as I began to narrow down my grad school choices I decided to at least read one or two full-length collections by the faculty of each program I was interested in. I don't know-- I read this book a bit hungover in Providence, I recall sitting at a kitchen table reading funny lines out loud at 8 in the morning and everyone laughing and feeling good, but overall it felt like "I wish this had been 80 pages torn apart and scattered across the city." As a book, just a bit too much, too much forward momentum, not enough, well, pacing.

[martha]

[2005 review.] I think McDaniel sometimes ends up being sensational for its own sake, but his poetry is also full of lots of wonderful, original images and his love poems can be just perfect, more brutal than saccharine. The Splinter Factory includes the terrific "The Benjamin Franklin of Monogamy", if you'd like to try him out. (What we had together / makes it sound like a virus, as if we caught / one another like colds)

2012 note. Aww. Cute. I-- I do not feel this way about Jeffrey McDaniel anymore.

[Brandon · Rating 1 out of 5]

i read the book a few years ago, i saw jeff read in la before he went to brooklyn, then i saw him here a week ago... and he read the same damn set he read three years ago.

and the worst part: the political poems were dated back then. imagine hearing about nader right now.

and: a white man defining what it means to be black (re: rice and powell) is inexcusable.

if his poetry reflects his politics, he's part of the liberal problem.

[Cameron Stuart · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of a number of new discoveries I made whilst becoming familiar with a swarm of poetry faculty. There is a poem that makes a government censorship law seem beautiful, a description of tiredness likened to a nun's genitals, and a magnetizing dark humour settling somewhere between Carol Ann Duffy and Charles Bukowski. And for roughly that reason I'd recommend you read it.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

so special! the book is organized really well - i can't say i always notice the ways poems are ordered in collections, but this one follows some beautiful birth-to-death logic. it's quirky and edgy, but not self-consciously so. the man knows how to read his poetry, too, so you should go see him.

[Davita · Rating 5 out of 5]

McDaniel is the undisputed Master of the Metaphor. One of my favorite contemporary poets, his use of language is awe-inspiring and gasp-worthy in the best sense of the words. There's no one like him on the poetic landscape and that makes him and his work unique treasures.