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Intimates and Fools
Coupling body art and poetry, Intimates and Fools intimates the complicating pairing of the female form and cultural notions of beauty while playfully seeking to bare and bear such burdens of their weight. Body art and illustrations by Sally Deskins.
Sally Deskins & Laura Madeline Wiseman, what a delightful duo! Their book, Intimates and Fools, is a captivating aria praising that most maligned 0f all intimates, the brassiere. Wiseman’s slender, sometimes tart, poems form the skeleton of this book. Her bras are active; they tangle, squish, and flutter. Her descriptions are vivid: “one naughty strap winding, below a silk tank top.” Her humor is lighthearted: “why,” she asks about bras, “does everyone prefer them off?” Deskins’ characterful artwork supports Wiseman’s bras as she illustrates Intimates and Fools. Her captivating art, sometimes abstract, is mostly about cups: coffee cups and bra cups! They come in all sizes, shapes and colors, matching Wiseman’s poems in range and humor. Together, Wiseman and Deskins dance through an entertaining duet of intimate colors and words. Their stimulating combination forms a heady brew. You’ll not regret imbibing.
-Marilyn June Coffey
They’re rarely comfortable, never lift high enough and finding a “perfect fit” is elusive at best. Cleverly weaving our love-hate relationship with the bra through insightful poetry and playful, evocative art, Intimates and Fools is easily appreciated by anyone who has ever had to wear one.
-Roxanne Wach
Surprising and spontaneous, colorful and expressive, Sally Deskins’ illustrations are fun, inviting and light-hearted. Knowing the process of breast printing the images only makes the accompanying poetry by Laura Madeline Wiseman even more humorous. What a delightful pair these two artists make in this collaborative book. Coffee tables will never be the same again.
-Rachel Mindrup
Intimates and Fools, a lovely book about life and intimate wear, playfully exposes our epic love/hate relationship with the bra. Laura Madeline Wiseman’s beautifully blunt musings couple with Sally Deskins’ mischievous drawings and colorful “body prints” to fluidly move us from “pinched shoulders” to “silk roses”; they make the perfect pair.
-Kristin Pluhacek
Sally Deskins & Laura Madeline Wiseman, what a delightful duo! Their book, Intimates and Fools, is a captivating aria praising that most maligned 0f all intimates, the brassiere. Wiseman’s slender, sometimes tart, poems form the skeleton of this book. Her bras are active; they tangle, squish, and flutter. Her descriptions are vivid: “one naughty strap winding, below a silk tank top.” Her humor is lighthearted: “why,” she asks about bras, “does everyone prefer them off?” Deskins’ characterful artwork supports Wiseman’s bras as she illustrates Intimates and Fools. Her captivating art, sometimes abstract, is mostly about cups: coffee cups and bra cups! They come in all sizes, shapes and colors, matching Wiseman’s poems in range and humor. Together, Wiseman and Deskins dance through an entertaining duet of intimate colors and words. Their stimulating combination forms a heady brew. You’ll not regret imbibing.
-Marilyn June Coffey
They’re rarely comfortable, never lift high enough and finding a “perfect fit” is elusive at best. Cleverly weaving our love-hate relationship with the bra through insightful poetry and playful, evocative art, Intimates and Fools is easily appreciated by anyone who has ever had to wear one.
-Roxanne Wach
Surprising and spontaneous, colorful and expressive, Sally Deskins’ illustrations are fun, inviting and light-hearted. Knowing the process of breast printing the images only makes the accompanying poetry by Laura Madeline Wiseman even more humorous. What a delightful pair these two artists make in this collaborative book. Coffee tables will never be the same again.
-Rachel Mindrup
Intimates and Fools, a lovely book about life and intimate wear, playfully exposes our epic love/hate relationship with the bra. Laura Madeline Wiseman’s beautifully blunt musings couple with Sally Deskins’ mischievous drawings and colorful “body prints” to fluidly move us from “pinched shoulders” to “silk roses”; they make the perfect pair.
-Kristin Pluhacek
Paperback
First published January 1, 2014
337 people want to read
About the author
Laura Madeline Wiseman
52 books152 followersLaura Madeline Wiseman's latest books are Velocipede, published by Stephen F. Austin State University Press and Through A Certain Forest published by BlazeVOX [books]. Her collaboratively written chapbook with Andrea Blythe, Every Girl Becomes the Wolf is forthcoming from Finishing Line Press.
She is also the author of the full length collections of poetry An Apparently Impossible Adventure (BlazeVOX [books], 2016), Drink (BlazeVOX [books], 2015), Wake (Aldrich Press, 2015), Some Fatal Effects of Curiosity and Disobedience (Lavender Ink, 2014), American Galactic (Martian Lit, 2014), Queen of the Platform (Anaphora Literary Press, 2013) and Sprung (San Francisco Bay Press, 2012).
Her collaborative books are People Like Cats with Chuka Susan Chesney, (Red Dashboard, LCC in 2016), Leaves of Absence with artist Sally Deskins (Red Dashboard, LCC, 2016), The Hunger of the Cheeky Sisters with artist Lauren Rinaldi (Les Femmes Folles, 2015, and Intimates and Fools (Les Femmes Folles, 2014) with artist Sally Deskins.
Her flash novel is The Bottle Opener (Red Dashboard, LCC 2014).
Her letterpress books are Unclose The Door (Gold Quoin Press, 2012) and Farm Hands (Gold Quoin Press, 2012).
Her chapbooks are Threnody (Porkbelly Press, 2014), Spindrift (Dancing Girl Press, 2014), Stranger Still (Finishing Line Press, 2013, First Wife (Hyacinth Girl Press, 2013), Men and Their Whims (Writing Knights Press, 2013), She Who Loves Her Father (Dancing Girl Press, 2012), Branding Girls (Finishing Line Press, 2011), Ghost Girl (Pudding House, 2010), and My Imaginary (Dancing Girl Press, 2010). Her early DIY chapbooks include Plastic Matches (2002).
She is also the editor of Bared: Contemporary Poetry and Art on Bras and Breasts (Les Femmes Folles Books, 2017) and Women Write Resistance: Poets Resist Gender Violence (Hyacinth Girl Press, 2013).
Her work has appeared in Margie, Prairie Schooner, Arts & Letters, Feminist Studies, Mid-American Review, Blackbird, 13th Moon, Cream City Review, Poet Lore and elsewhere. Awards and grants include the Academy of American Poets Award and the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation grant. Currently, she teaches writing at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
She is also the author of the full length collections of poetry An Apparently Impossible Adventure (BlazeVOX [books], 2016), Drink (BlazeVOX [books], 2015), Wake (Aldrich Press, 2015), Some Fatal Effects of Curiosity and Disobedience (Lavender Ink, 2014), American Galactic (Martian Lit, 2014), Queen of the Platform (Anaphora Literary Press, 2013) and Sprung (San Francisco Bay Press, 2012).
Her collaborative books are People Like Cats with Chuka Susan Chesney, (Red Dashboard, LCC in 2016), Leaves of Absence with artist Sally Deskins (Red Dashboard, LCC, 2016), The Hunger of the Cheeky Sisters with artist Lauren Rinaldi (Les Femmes Folles, 2015, and Intimates and Fools (Les Femmes Folles, 2014) with artist Sally Deskins.
Her flash novel is The Bottle Opener (Red Dashboard, LCC 2014).
Her letterpress books are Unclose The Door (Gold Quoin Press, 2012) and Farm Hands (Gold Quoin Press, 2012).
Her chapbooks are Threnody (Porkbelly Press, 2014), Spindrift (Dancing Girl Press, 2014), Stranger Still (Finishing Line Press, 2013, First Wife (Hyacinth Girl Press, 2013), Men and Their Whims (Writing Knights Press, 2013), She Who Loves Her Father (Dancing Girl Press, 2012), Branding Girls (Finishing Line Press, 2011), Ghost Girl (Pudding House, 2010), and My Imaginary (Dancing Girl Press, 2010). Her early DIY chapbooks include Plastic Matches (2002).
She is also the editor of Bared: Contemporary Poetry and Art on Bras and Breasts (Les Femmes Folles Books, 2017) and Women Write Resistance: Poets Resist Gender Violence (Hyacinth Girl Press, 2013).
Her work has appeared in Margie, Prairie Schooner, Arts & Letters, Feminist Studies, Mid-American Review, Blackbird, 13th Moon, Cream City Review, Poet Lore and elsewhere. Awards and grants include the Academy of American Poets Award and the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation grant. Currently, she teaches writing at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 1, 2014
"Deskins's own art, colorful sketches and body prints, unapologetically splash across the page in bright strokes while Wiseman's handwritten prose snakes up and around, balancing and accompanying the art...It made me want to linger, to touch the page, run my hands across the color and script. It was more of an experience than just interpretation...it's what's just under the busy surface that's most appealing: the wildly complex social constructs of female body, and the symbol of the bra as the ultimate carrier of all things female: shame, sexuality, strength." - [Pank] Magazine
"Intimates and Fools is a visually stunning book. This insightful collaboration between poet Laura Madeline Wiseman and artist Sally Deskins gives us not only a look into the bras that hold women's breasts, but uncovers the history and honesty of what women wear beneath their garments...Throughout, we never leave what holds up the breasts, what women desire in a bra, what women might do without them, even how these intimate garments are cared for over time. This is a book about the female body and what adorns it, what is bought and given away in so many forms." - Connotation Press
"What we wear under our clothes tells a quiet story, as playfully and artfully explored in the book "Intimates and Fools," with poetry by Laura Madeline Wiseman and artwork by Sally Deskins... The concept of having a book of illustrated poems dedicated to breasts and undergarments is charming and yet sweetly simple... The artwork of Deskins is so vibrant, with playful poems surrounding their form... the overall feeling from the collection is that of simple joys in these sacred garments we hold close." - Busting and Droning Magazine
"Intimates and Fools is a visually stunning book. This insightful collaboration between poet Laura Madeline Wiseman and artist Sally Deskins gives us not only a look into the bras that hold women's breasts, but uncovers the history and honesty of what women wear beneath their garments...Throughout, we never leave what holds up the breasts, what women desire in a bra, what women might do without them, even how these intimate garments are cared for over time. This is a book about the female body and what adorns it, what is bought and given away in so many forms." - Connotation Press
"What we wear under our clothes tells a quiet story, as playfully and artfully explored in the book "Intimates and Fools," with poetry by Laura Madeline Wiseman and artwork by Sally Deskins... The concept of having a book of illustrated poems dedicated to breasts and undergarments is charming and yet sweetly simple... The artwork of Deskins is so vibrant, with playful poems surrounding their form... the overall feeling from the collection is that of simple joys in these sacred garments we hold close." - Busting and Droning Magazine
March 9, 2015
Intimates and Fools is a cheeky, fun read that explores women's complicated relationship with our undergarments and breasts. We are poked, prodded and pinched into our bras and can't wait to take them off. We shop for the newest colors and styles, shuck out small fortunes, and then curse their restrictiveness. Laura Madeline Wiseman's poetry will have you conspiratorially chuckling and each page of Sally Deskins' painted illustrations are frame-worthy. This short book is a great gift for your sister, best friend or mother. Or better yet, treat yourself...and your boobs!
Read my full review here: http://www.ivoryowlreviews.blogspot.c...
Read my full review here: http://www.ivoryowlreviews.blogspot.c...
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April 8, 2014It is interesting to think about the garments that only the woman and her chosen one, or few, get to view. There is a unity among women expressed through exploring these ideas, which is displayed in a fun, imaginative, and relatable way in “Intimates and Fools.” The concept of having a book of illustrated poems dedicated to breasts and undergarments is charming and yet sweetly simple. We all form relationships with our undergarments; some even bring us luck! Wiseman finds multiple viewpoints for describing this relationship with our intimate apparel, lending to a unique and full collection, which is truly complimented by the artistry of Deskins.
July 19, 2016
Sincere as well as playful, Intimates and Fools reads as a modern feminist reflection about our relationship with bras. Beautiful images and charming hand drawn text makes this book a fun and engaging read. Share it with friends and explore your own complex relationship with this invisible yet ever-present undergarment!
April 5, 2014
"Intimates and Fools" is both fun and thoughtful. It reminds me to laugh AND to focus. Many of Deskin's body paintings are heavy (one reminds me of a two-headed burqa), while her small drawings are light and fun. Wiseman's smart reflections on bras take me from F.Scott Fitzgerald to Judy Grahn, from bra burning to the shopping mall, from necessity to indulgence.
April 29, 2014
A delicious, beautiful little book where the bra becomes a metaphor for all the containing a female life must do. At turns funny and sad and sexy, this study of our intimates becomes a study of intimacy with ourselves.
September 23, 2014
Goodreads win. Will read and review once received.
This was a cute and playful read. It was a quick read and I can see many different people reading this book, as well as enjoying it. I loved how it explored women's relationship with undergarments. The images in the book were beautiful and made the book that much more enjoyable. I can definitely see myself passing this book along to close friends.
This was a cute and playful read. It was a quick read and I can see many different people reading this book, as well as enjoying it. I loved how it explored women's relationship with undergarments. The images in the book were beautiful and made the book that much more enjoyable. I can definitely see myself passing this book along to close friends.
October 15, 2014
Intimates and Fools is a great example of an artist-writer collaboration that truly works as a partnership. The images enhance the words, and vice versa, neither overwhelming the other. Full of vibrant lines: "There are no fools here, I say / in a whisper, a prayer / a hope."
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews