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Callback from the Muse: Poems
In this imaginative collection of poems, Michael La Ronn obeys his muse and creates colorful experiences of delicacy and wonder. They are fearless and leave nothing unexplored, no words wasted.
This diverse collection stands on equal ground with La Ronn’s prose works, and it establishes him as an important poet of the millenial generation.
This diverse collection stands on equal ground with La Ronn’s prose works, and it establishes him as an important poet of the millenial generation.
- GenresPoetry
ebook
First published August 1, 2014
158 people want to read
About the author
Michael La Ronn
81 books167 followersScience fiction and fantasy on the wild side!
Michael La Ronn is the author of many science fiction and fantasy novels including the Android X, Eaten, and The Last Dragon Lord series.
In 2012, a life-threatening illness made him realize that life is too short. He’s devoted his life to writing ever since, making up whatever story makes him fall out of his chair laughing the hardest. He’s also a total Final Fantasy geek.
If you're new to Michael's work, visit this link to grab his $1 Series Starters--->www.michaellaronn.com/seriesstarters
Michael La Ronn is the author of many science fiction and fantasy novels including the Android X, Eaten, and The Last Dragon Lord series.
In 2012, a life-threatening illness made him realize that life is too short. He’s devoted his life to writing ever since, making up whatever story makes him fall out of his chair laughing the hardest. He’s also a total Final Fantasy geek.
If you're new to Michael's work, visit this link to grab his $1 Series Starters--->www.michaellaronn.com/seriesstarters
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 2, 2015
Callback from the Muse: Poems authored by Michael La Ronn is a debut chapbook of original well crafted poetry. Several poems introduce LaRonn's gift for storytelling, he admits at one time he had hoped to be the next black Billy Collins. With a dislike for writing nature and love poetry, as with so many poets, poetry has had a deep meaningful impact in his life. LaRonn discusses the rejection of his work by several publications, his writing not fitting in with mainstream style, also contemplation to pursue a MFA at the Iowa Writers Workshop.
"Royal Succession" opens with vivid imagery: "The night I scorned God/the sky cracked, and beams of light leaked down, hooked me by the collar/and pulled me through the clouds." The great spirit is further described as the "grand mechanic" operating a conveyor belt with nuts, bolts, gaskets clinking and clanking.
"An Open Letter": a shocking recall of the author being hit by a car while riding his bicycle. Though the accident wasn't a hit and run, it sure seemed like it, with the driver stopping ever so briefly before driving away without leaving contact information.
"For Lucille": A young man describes his desire and hope he will be chosen over another man for the love of Lucille. From the themes of every day life "Concrete Autumn", "Outside a Mall", the vintage styled "1989". A family backyard barbecue with James Brown playing on an old record player: "Steppin" . La Ronn covers many different concrete and creative themes, it was good that he included the brief love and nature theme poems as well. The focus or use of the "muse" in poetry, doesn't seem to apply so much in this collection. At best it seems rather abstract, yet doesn't reduce the fine quality of La Ronn's writing.
I love the cover art of this chapbook. Many thanks much appreciation for the e-ARC for the purpose of review. Michael La Ronn is also a prolific novelist, he lives in Des Moines Iowa.
"Royal Succession" opens with vivid imagery: "The night I scorned God/the sky cracked, and beams of light leaked down, hooked me by the collar/and pulled me through the clouds." The great spirit is further described as the "grand mechanic" operating a conveyor belt with nuts, bolts, gaskets clinking and clanking.
"An Open Letter": a shocking recall of the author being hit by a car while riding his bicycle. Though the accident wasn't a hit and run, it sure seemed like it, with the driver stopping ever so briefly before driving away without leaving contact information.
"For Lucille": A young man describes his desire and hope he will be chosen over another man for the love of Lucille. From the themes of every day life "Concrete Autumn", "Outside a Mall", the vintage styled "1989". A family backyard barbecue with James Brown playing on an old record player: "Steppin" . La Ronn covers many different concrete and creative themes, it was good that he included the brief love and nature theme poems as well. The focus or use of the "muse" in poetry, doesn't seem to apply so much in this collection. At best it seems rather abstract, yet doesn't reduce the fine quality of La Ronn's writing.
I love the cover art of this chapbook. Many thanks much appreciation for the e-ARC for the purpose of review. Michael La Ronn is also a prolific novelist, he lives in Des Moines Iowa.
August 15, 2014
I love poetry and am a poet myself, but it’s hard to find poetry that suits my taste, which is kind of wacky yet accessible. I love quirkiness, but not for quirkiness’ sake.
When I came across this beautiful cover with its inviting title, I immediately took a look. What a revelation. These poems are exactly the kind of poetry I’ve been looking for.
The writing is folksy yet heady, spirited yet grounded, intelligent yet not snootily intellectual. Indeed, La Ronn’s style is emotional and mental, with a feel that is both feet- and head-in-the-clouds.
He is also a poet-trickster. You ask for the meaning of life and get an ice cream cone. You open the door to the mall and find a Greek god barring your path. The poems weigh you down and then fling you over the clouds and the sun. And even God herself.
The surprising use of language is a particular strength. A favourite passage of mine is from a poem called “Nevada Solar One”:
But there is a triumph in these tears:
the searing rays zapped to steam,
snatched by dynamos,
sucked through steel nerves
into the gourmand, gigawatt glare of Las Vegas.
This poem sure isn’t afraid of verbs, such as “zapped,” “snatched” and “sucked,” with the voiced and unvoiced fricatives at the start, the open vowels in the middle, and the past-tense endings that keep the reader sucked into the stanza. (I also love how the three “g” words in the last line, “gourmand, gigawatt glare,” echo the letters in “Las Vegas.”)
La Ronn does this again in “Outside a Mall”:
Claystone horses watch cars pass by. A counterfeit creek cools outdoor decks warmed by June heat.
I love at all those “k” sounds creaking, with the “oo’s” and “ee’s” ooeehing together, as though La Ronn dismembered and then salt-and-peppered the words “kook” and “squee” all over the sentence.
In addition to some fancy word sewing, La Ronn offers fresh images. In “Curry Desert,” an homage to sensual cooking, food is reimagined into a desert caravan:
The pyramids are next— they glisten in the saffron sun. At their base a Bedouin leads a string of cumin camels toward an oasis of palms topped with bay leaves. He steps his camels safely past two mustard scorpions boxing in the sand.
This is a great example of the sense mingling that pervades the tome. Taste buds are landscapes and journeys. Colours are alive and experiential.
Aside from food, La Ronn is inspired by the past and pastiche. The poem “1989” is a throwback to the vibrant 80’s colours we know so well:
Taste the rainbow: yellows on a cocaine high,
road cone oranges, delinquent pinks that break
eyedrums.
It’s great here how colour and sight are transformed into taste and hearing. (I don’t know about you, but having my eyedrums broken is a favourite pastime.)
Then we have the poem “no. 24.2-7.” Never in my life have I laughed out loud at a poem. Enough said.
Overall, my sense is that the “Muse” here is La Ronn’s anima; his search for a unifying psychological principle. In other words, he’s talking about the collective soul’s longing for sustenance, no matter who you are, no matter what your upbringing, no matter what your background.
What’s even better is that La Ronn probably has somewhere to go from here, and it will be great to see what else he has in store. In the future, I’d like to see if he can allow readers to use their intuition to determine a poem’s moral statement instead of his literally stating it, and if he can do so without any loss of accessibility.
But, overall, of course, I really recommend this book.
Original review here: http://artsyfartsycopyediting.com/201...
When I came across this beautiful cover with its inviting title, I immediately took a look. What a revelation. These poems are exactly the kind of poetry I’ve been looking for.
The writing is folksy yet heady, spirited yet grounded, intelligent yet not snootily intellectual. Indeed, La Ronn’s style is emotional and mental, with a feel that is both feet- and head-in-the-clouds.
He is also a poet-trickster. You ask for the meaning of life and get an ice cream cone. You open the door to the mall and find a Greek god barring your path. The poems weigh you down and then fling you over the clouds and the sun. And even God herself.
The surprising use of language is a particular strength. A favourite passage of mine is from a poem called “Nevada Solar One”:
But there is a triumph in these tears:
the searing rays zapped to steam,
snatched by dynamos,
sucked through steel nerves
into the gourmand, gigawatt glare of Las Vegas.
This poem sure isn’t afraid of verbs, such as “zapped,” “snatched” and “sucked,” with the voiced and unvoiced fricatives at the start, the open vowels in the middle, and the past-tense endings that keep the reader sucked into the stanza. (I also love how the three “g” words in the last line, “gourmand, gigawatt glare,” echo the letters in “Las Vegas.”)
La Ronn does this again in “Outside a Mall”:
Claystone horses watch cars pass by. A counterfeit creek cools outdoor decks warmed by June heat.
I love at all those “k” sounds creaking, with the “oo’s” and “ee’s” ooeehing together, as though La Ronn dismembered and then salt-and-peppered the words “kook” and “squee” all over the sentence.
In addition to some fancy word sewing, La Ronn offers fresh images. In “Curry Desert,” an homage to sensual cooking, food is reimagined into a desert caravan:
The pyramids are next— they glisten in the saffron sun. At their base a Bedouin leads a string of cumin camels toward an oasis of palms topped with bay leaves. He steps his camels safely past two mustard scorpions boxing in the sand.
This is a great example of the sense mingling that pervades the tome. Taste buds are landscapes and journeys. Colours are alive and experiential.
Aside from food, La Ronn is inspired by the past and pastiche. The poem “1989” is a throwback to the vibrant 80’s colours we know so well:
Taste the rainbow: yellows on a cocaine high,
road cone oranges, delinquent pinks that break
eyedrums.
It’s great here how colour and sight are transformed into taste and hearing. (I don’t know about you, but having my eyedrums broken is a favourite pastime.)
Then we have the poem “no. 24.2-7.” Never in my life have I laughed out loud at a poem. Enough said.
Overall, my sense is that the “Muse” here is La Ronn’s anima; his search for a unifying psychological principle. In other words, he’s talking about the collective soul’s longing for sustenance, no matter who you are, no matter what your upbringing, no matter what your background.
What’s even better is that La Ronn probably has somewhere to go from here, and it will be great to see what else he has in store. In the future, I’d like to see if he can allow readers to use their intuition to determine a poem’s moral statement instead of his literally stating it, and if he can do so without any loss of accessibility.
But, overall, of course, I really recommend this book.
Original review here: http://artsyfartsycopyediting.com/201...
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews