Stay: threads, conversations, collaborations

by Nick Flynn

With Stay, acclaimed poet, artist, and bestselling memoirist Nick Flynn presents a self-portrait via a constellation of topics that have circled his work. Ranging from the impact of suicide and homelessness to addiction, political engagement, and the vital power of artistic friendships, Stay is a mixed-media retrospective that shows nothing is created in isolation.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Poetry

307 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 17, 2020

About the author

Nick Flynn is an American writer, playwright, and poet.



Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Reviews

[Bryan Fox · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a fan of Flynn's work, having read pretty much every book he's written, both prose and poetry. To be clear, there is a lot of good writing in this book. But 70% of it is excerpts from previously published texts. I'm not sure if he was pressured by his publisher to put out a new book, or if he just wanted to put together something attractive and suitable for the coffee table (there are many photos of works of art, both Flynn's and others', positioned between and among the texts - it's a handsome book), but I don't really see the point of this.

Many of the memoir excerpts only make sense, only carry emotional weight, within the context of the books from which they have been extracted, and the effect of seeing them cut and pasted randomly into an unrelated text is somewhat akin to watching a series of emotional scenes from movies without knowing the plot or understanding the relationships between the characters. And to be fair, I don't know that Flynn is prolific enough yet to have a "Best Of" anthology. This book is the literary equivalent of a band with 4 or 5 good songs putting out a double-CD "Greatest Hits" compilation - there's just too much filler.

[Christian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A glimpse into the mind of Nick Flynn who, if you don't know his story, is one to read into. A compilation of thoughts from his previous books, poems, photographs, and collages.
Mary Ruefe, poet and essayist, spoke to this book in a way that really spoke to my thoughts on it as well: "If you could string a wire between life and death and
pluck it, it would make the sound of this book. All Flynn's ephemera - and writing itself is ephemera; life is ephemeral
- shows us, from the ground up and onto our shoulders, that it is dangerous to be
alive, but the truly deep, massive, complicated thing is to wake up and try."

[Chris]

Like a greatest hits album with a few bonus tracks, I thought.
There are many of Flynn’s powerful essays—on current affairs, on other artists—included that create a fuller picture of him as an artist. That create a fuller picture of life.
The collaborations, images that appear throughout, add to the written works in many cases.

[Debbie Hagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful book! This is a collection of poems, essays, bits of interviews, and excerpts from Flynn's various books and scripts from his films. This is all interspersed in between collages, photographs, and various artworks. It's a fun, diverse read, and some fine intellectual thinking.

[Alicia Zuto · Rating 5 out of 5]

He is my type of thinker. This book was inspiring for a writer. The kind that makes you want to write because a flow of responsive thoughts develop. Flynn is Interesting and honest in that surreal way.

[Lanie Tankard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here's my review in THE WOVEN TALE PRESS:

https://www.thewoventalepress.net/202...

[Zach · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Nick Flynn so much that I have already read about 80% of the prose/poetry in this book. That said, it was still fun to flip through and see his process(es).

[Jojo · Rating 4 out of 5]

i think there is merit to reading this book even though it is mainly excerpts from flynn's other texts- as the pacing, the pieces included, and the artwork allows this book to tell its own story.

[Chrissy D · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you had the urge to buy it then you will most likely like it..