Man on Extremely Small Island

by Jason Koo

Poetry. Asian American Studies. Winner of the 2008 DeNovo Poetry Prize. "Jason Koo's MAN ON EXTREMELY SMALL ISLAND is an absurdly funny meditation on loneliness, desire and the silences between us. By turns mythic and pop, Koo's poems explore the anger, betrayal and compromises of young love, as well as the complexities of communication within families. MAN ON EXTREMELY SMALL ISLAND is a self-effacing look at anguish, an expansive and inclusive debut"--Denise Duhamel.

Genres: Poetry

88 pages, Paperback

First published December 15, 2009

About the author

Named one of the "100 Most Influential People in Brooklyn Culture" by Brooklyn Magazine, Jason Koo was born in New York City and grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. He is the author of three full-length collections of poetry: More Than Mere Light (Prelude Books, 2018), America's Favorite Poem (Brooklyn Arts Press, 2020; C&R Press, 2014) and Man on Extremely Small Island (Brooklyn Arts Press, 2020; C&R Press, 2009), winner of the De Novo Poetry Prize and the Asian American Writers' Workshop Members' Choice Award for the best Asian American book of 2009. He is also the author of the chapbook Sunset Park (Frontier Slumber, 2017) and coeditor of the Brooklyn Poets Anthology (Brooklyn Arts Press & Brooklyn Poets, 2017). He has published his poetry and prose in the American Scholar, Missouri Review, Village Voice and Yale Review, among other places, and won fellowships for his work from the National Endowment for the Arts, Vermont Studio Center and New York State Writers Institute. He earned his BA in English from Yale, his MFA in creative writing from the University of Houston and his PhD in English and creative writing from the University of Missouri–Columbia. An associate teaching professor of English at Quinnipiac University, Koo has also taught writing at NYU and Lehman College–CUNY, where he served as the director of the graduate program in English, and as a senior writer-in-residence for Writers in the Schools. He is the founder and executive director of Brooklyn Poets and creator of the Bridge. He lives in Beacon, NY.

Reviews

[Charlotte Pence · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you ever have a chance to hear Koo read, do it. Such a relaxed and witty reader. I used this book in my 2000-level poetry workshop, and it changed many students’ minds about what is contemporary poetry and what it can do. A smart yet sensitive collection of poems.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why are you not seeing me? Answering my phone calls? Emails?
Text messages?
I am running out of tinier messages to send you

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://wewhoareabouttodie.com/2010/04...

[Paul]

Review at asianamlitfans.

[V · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've attended Jason's Brooklyn Poets workshops over the years. He brings an amazing flavor to the community and his books really hit home.