All the Rage

by Sam Sax

In All the Rage, sam sax turns the poetry of observation into weapon of prayer and resurrection. Here is the eroticism and anger of bearing witness. Here the dead walk again, sometimes right over us, sometimes right through us. Here are open wounds wet with the spit of old lovers and old versions of ourselves, raw, hungry, and unwilling to let us forget what we've seen.

Genres: Poetry, Queer, LGBT

42 pages, Paperback

First published June 21, 2016

About the author

sam sax is a queer, jewish, writer and educator. They're the author of PIG (2023, Scribner) and Yr Dead (2024, McSweeney’s), as well as Madness, winner of The National Poetry Series and ‘Bury It’ winner of the James Laughlin Award from the Academy of American Poets. They're the two time Bay Area Grand Slam Champion with poems and stories published in The New York Times, Granta, The Los Angeles Review of Books and elsewhere. Sam's received fellowships from  The NEA, Poetry Foundation, MacDowell, and is currently serving as an ITALIC Lecturer at Stanford University

Reviews

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this made me realize just how well Sam Sax's poetry would do as spoken word. He was just here. And I missed seeing him. :'(

[silas denver melvin · Rating 5 out of 5]

quick, dazzling read. know this: sax does not & will not disappoint

[Robert Vaughan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sam Sax is a terrific poet and this chapbook, All the Rage, from Sibling Rivalry does not disappoint.

[Steven Critelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the book where Sam Sax flips a switch [in the latter half of the chapbook - beginning with the poem, "Pornography")] and creates poetry that supersedes everything he's done to date. I can't wait to read Madness.

[Lisa Haneberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this poetry collection. This was my first time reading Sam Sax but I intend to checkout more of this works. The poems in this book are sometimes lyrical, surprising, suspenseful, funny, heart breaking, and provocative. Sax uses structure to help make the right impression. He uses a lot of prose techniques which help the poems flow and tell great stories.

[Peggy Heitmann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sam Sax's voice is very fresh and his poems are new in this collection. They do not really resonate with me, but I am intrigued by his writing, enough that I would buy another book by him. The poem I liked best is "Lost Things". The line I like best is "the women talk/about losing their husbands/like they were misplaced". I really encourage the reader to explore for her/him self.

[abby · Rating 5 out of 5]

i got this chapbook at dodge poetry festival last year and it was my introduction to sam sax’s poetry. if you haven’t read a poem by him, please do yourself a favor and DO IT. it’s intimate, passionate, and all-around great writing.

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the story
My great grandmother
Crashed her family's Oldsmobile
On purpose
Killing her husband
Who was, they say, mean
As a man can get.
Even his kindness
Burnt.
Even his body
Made ash turned
The urn in her
Living room a color
That refused
To go
With the wallpaper

[Will · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this collection and Sam Sax's style. Many more reviews do this better justice than I could.

[jason crawford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sax has powerful imagery and conviction.

[Walker James · Rating 4 out of 5]

woooooooow.

This book is about me in a way probably no other book of poems I've read has been about me.

[Skailer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poignant and painful: best to read this book on a sunny day so you can bask in warmth while Sam breaks your heart.

[Emerson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chastity
before i ever had it

I used to think sex was
just a mirror
you'd stand before
+ see monsters

[Jess Mele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Forever one of my favorite poets!