Contradictions in the Design

Contradictions in the Design

<div><p>"Matthew Olzmann's poetry is that rare thing that embraces complication while, at every turn, filling us with wonder. <I>Contradictions in the Design </I>incorporates 'patterns among celestial bodies, the mysteries of Christ, X + Y, crossword puzzles, free will,' but also the playfulness and oddities of life that allow us to laugh hardest at ourselves. Desire, Supervillains, Moby, and 'the idea of Moby': prepare yourself to be dazzled."—C. Dale Young</p><p>These political poems employ humor to challenge the cultural norms of American society, focusing primarily on racism, social injustices and inequality. Simultaneously, the poems take on a deeper, personal level as it carefully deconstructs identity and the human experience, piecing them together with unflinching logic and wit. Olzmann takes readers on a surreal exploration of discovery and self-evaluation.</p><p><B>From: "Elegy Where Small Towns Are Obscured By Mountains":</B></p><p><I> …There are all kinds</I></p><p><I>of stories eaten by history and silence<br>and neglect. Above a door, something stirs<br>the chimes, and reminds someone inside<br>that where there is wind: a song, </I></p><p><I>however faint. A man hears it, and passes<BR>through a screen door into a night of fireflies. <br>He looks around as if called by a voice.<br>The wind has passed. The chimes are quiet.<br> </I></p><p><B>Matthew Olzmann</B>'s first book of poems, <I>Mezzanines</I>, received the 2011 Kundiman Prize and was published by Alice James Books. His writing has appeared or is forthcoming in <I>New England Review</I>, <I>Kenyon Review</I>, <I>Poetry Northwest</I>, the <I>Southern Review</I>, <I>Forklift</I>, <I>Ohio </I>, and elsewhere. Currently, he is a visiting professor of Creative Writing in the undergraduate writing program at Warren Wilson College and co-editor of the <I>Collagist</I>.</p></div>