Rating: 
Summary: Unbridled, Beautifully Unstructured Poetry
Review: "Verses that Hurt" is one of the best collections of poetry I've read in a long time. Ideal for people who don't really like poetry, because it's not structured and very free-flowing, and people who DO like poetry as well, because hey, we love free-flowing expression too. Some of the poems describe sweet happiness, and some capture the essence of hate and anger. Sexuality is a constant theme in some of them. One of my favorites is "Please Master" by Allen Ginsberg. To me, this captures the very essence of sexuality. And not just gay-male sexuality, I'm talkin' the whole picture, ALL sexuality, even though the terms use seem to allude to the first. Definitely a good read.
Rating: 
Summary: Verses That Hurt (ed. Jordan and Amy Trachtenberg)
Review: A few years ago a voice mail was set up in New York City, and poets were called in every month to read a new poem everyday onto the message. Then the public could call in everyday, listen to the poem, and respond after the beep with anything they had to say. The poems were recorded on an album, and the best printed in this wonderful book. The book came out in 1997. The phone number they have listed in the introduction is either wrong or changed, I called it twice and kept getting the voice mail to someone named "Kika." The poets in this book are: Penny Arcade, Tish Benson, Nicole Blackman, David Cameron, Xavier Cavazos, Todd Colby, Matthew Courtney, M. Doughty, Kathy Ebel, Anne Elliot, Janice Erlbaum, Allen Ginsberg, John Giorno, John S. Hall, Bob Holman, Christian X. Hunter, Shannon Ketch, Bobby Miller, Wanda Phipps, Lee Renaldo, Shut-Up Shelley, Hal Sirowitz, Sparrow, Spiro, Edwin Torres, and Emily XYZ. All the poets get at least three poems, and very good portraits by photographer Christian Lantry. The poems are short enough that you can probably get through this in one sitting, or read a poet a day. Penny Arcade starts the book off with a bang, using some really incredible verse. Tish Benson is next with poems that read like lazy blues songs, but filled with so much detail and activity, you can almost hear Billie Holliday gruffly whispering this in your ear. Nicole Blackman and her section is also incredible as she seems to speak for so many women who cannot find their own voice except hers. David Cameron's writing, while readable, is a little bland, like a freshman creative writing class. Despite his obvious emotion, I felt he was holding back on his own writing. Xavier Cavazos's section is slightly better, except for an entire poem that slams Rush Limbaugh. It may have been very clever when written and read, but it just give conservatives like Limbaugh more ammunition to go after art that they do not believe in. Why not a poem about Parkay hawking corporate monkey Al Franken, who had so much success slamming Limbaugh? Or Dennis Miller, whose rants against everybody was quickly dashed by asinine long distance ads. Nothing worse than a sell out. Todd Colby does better work with paragraph poems than traditional verse poetry. Matthew Courtney reads like poorly written Allen Ginsberg, full of "shocking" imagery and without a point. M. Doughty's work is scary and involving, and not your traditional stuff. Kathy Ebel left me with no response. I read it, I was done, and I was not terribly moved. Anne Elliot reads like poorly written Matthew Courtney. Janice Erlbaum is wonderful, filling a sonnet and sestina with modern situations, turning antiquity on its ear. Ginsberg is Ginsberg. Being a little familiar with his work, I expected to see poems about gay sex, followed by verses about a frog. Ginsberg is so Ginsberg. John Giorno's two poems are shocking, about more gay sex, and taking drugs. He seems to be shocking without TRYING to be shocking. I guess you could say his shock is natural. John S. Hall also seems to be writing without getting to the heart of his point. His verse is so much posturing. Bob Holman is a bit of a bore, with quite a few poems here. Again, none stuck with me. Christian X. Hunter takes me into his world and it was hard to get out. He is probably my favorite poet here. Shannon Ketch reads like John S. Hall. Bobby Miller's very personal poems made me nostalgic for a time I could never experience. He writes about his first homosexual experience, and protesting Vietnam, so vividly, you swear you are there. Wanda Phipps opens with an angry poem, and never lets up. She is not threatening, but she has a lot to say. Lee Ranaldo also did not do it for me, his listed words seemed glossy and packaged. Shut-Up Shelley is fun because she is so different. Her changing font size on the page just screams at you, yet her photograph by Lantry shows her so whimsically. She is my second favorite poet here. Hal Sirowitz is my third favorite poet here, writing deeply personal poems about everyday things that had an obvious effect on his life. He is a blast to read aloud. Sparrow is weird. His first poem, involving possible sex with a cow, is a hoot, and his possible middle names for Bill Gates is a riot. Spiro is also very funny, especially his opening poem about heroin addiction. Edwin Torres also had me scratching my head for a while after I read him. His poetry is not hard, just inaccessible, and I was not interested enough in what he was saying to dig deeper. Emily XYZ reads like good Edwin Torres. The 26 poets here are quite a variety, and I recommend this tome to any poetry lovers. I also repeat my mantra to read more poetry and keep buying those little chapbooks you might see in used bookstores or at flea markets. There is always time in your day to smarten up. This does contain a lot of profanity, drug references, and sexual content, so giving it to your five year old to practice reading may not be a good idea.
Rating: 
Summary: Some Shining Stars...but...
Review: I like reading poetry one at a time then sitting the book down. Everytime I read a poem I loved it, but not enough to make me want to hurry up and pick up the book again.
Rating:
Summary: It is the best of the best poetry today
Review: I loved this book, and my friend is currently holding it hostage. It has all different types of styles from females as well as males and minorities. the book really peaked my curiosity to the wonderful world of poetry and spoken word. John S Hall was my favorite and I've found out he has a band. It's definitely a great buy!
Rating:
Summary: Hurts sooooooo Good!
Review: I will begin this review by telling you that this is the most amazing collection of poetry I have ever read. Verses that Hurt taught me that poetry could be fun, unapologetic, and cut through your soul like a rusty double edged knife. One year after reading this book, I began writing my own poetry, slamming with my work, getting it published, and eventually representing Austin at the National Poetry Slam in Providence, RI. All in one year, and all largely due to this book. To say that a single book can profoundly change your life and the way you look at the world is a bit too Oprah Book Club for me, but I would be lying if I said that wasn't the case with Verses. Verses that Hurt begins with the hard-hitting words of Penny Arcade's "Manifesto." The moment I read this poem, I knew I would be hooked on this collection. Her poem begins with, "This is my personal message to all you careerist, slime-bucket, fame-seeking, psychofantic, weak-worded, same-voiced..." I could go on, but you get the idea. It really just screamed to me, "Poetry is POWER!" Tish Benson's "U BE DOIN IT" is an amazing poetic representation of jazz and sound: "deBOOPde bEE bOPdeBoPdeBop da Bang bANG" - BRILLIANT! Matthew Courtney's "A Dream Never Dreamed of Sonny Bono & Don Knotts" captures everything that wordplay has the potential to become. Anne Elliott is perhaps my favorite poet in this book. She slams it all in your face, but does so with a subtle creepiness that is truly out of this world! DEFINATELY check out "something turned over" and "Trojan Love Poems." In fact, I dare you to read "Trojan Love Poems" out loud without crying. I super dog dare ya'! Shut-Up Shelly does amazing things with word placement on the page. Also the content of "mantra" really speaks to the forlorn nature of our generations: "My life is ----/I hate my life/My life sucks/It's a mantra!" Finally, Edwin Torres, who is always the craziest poet in just about any collection, does some very powerful work in this collection. Check out "Power Round" and "The Modern Phaullus." In short, this is no grandmother's book of poetry. The plethora of poetic device used in this collection kicks any other anthology out of the water! BUY THIS BOOK TODAY, become a poet tomorrow.
Rating:
Summary: Hurts sooooooo Good!
Review: I will begin this review by telling you that this is the most amazing collection of poetry I have ever read. Verses that Hurt taught me that poetry could be fun, unapologetic, and cut through your soul like a rusty double edged knife. One year after reading this book, I began writing my own poetry, slamming with my work, getting it published, and eventually representing Austin at the National Poetry Slam in Providence, RI. All in one year, and all largely due to this book. To say that a single book can profoundly change your life and the way you look at the world is a bit too Oprah Book Club for me, but I would be lying if I said that wasn't the case with Verses. Verses that Hurt begins with the hard-hitting words of Penny Arcade's "Manifesto." The moment I read this poem, I knew I would be hooked on this collection. Her poem begins with, "This is my personal message to all you careerist, slime-bucket, fame-seeking, psychofantic, weak-worded, same-voiced..." I could go on, but you get the idea. It really just screamed to me, "Poetry is POWER!" Tish Benson's "U BE DOIN IT" is an amazing poetic representation of jazz and sound: "deBOOPde bEE bOPdeBoPdeBop da Bang bANG" - BRILLIANT! Matthew Courtney's "A Dream Never Dreamed of Sonny Bono & Don Knotts" captures everything that wordplay has the potential to become. Anne Elliott is perhaps my favorite poet in this book. She slams it all in your face, but does so with a subtle creepiness that is truly out of this world! DEFINATELY check out "something turned over" and "Trojan Love Poems." In fact, I dare you to read "Trojan Love Poems" out loud without crying. I super dog dare ya'! Shut-Up Shelly does amazing things with word placement on the page. Also the content of "mantra" really speaks to the forlorn nature of our generations: "My life is ----/I hate my life/My life sucks/It's a mantra!" Finally, Edwin Torres, who is always the craziest poet in just about any collection, does some very powerful work in this collection. Check out "Power Round" and "The Modern Phaullus." In short, this is no grandmother's book of poetry. The plethora of poetic device used in this collection kicks any other anthology out of the water! BUY THIS BOOK TODAY, become a poet tomorrow.
Rating:
Summary: "Verses That Hurt" is psche medicine for the wounded
Review: Not being a huge fan of collected works of poetry, I almost refrained from purchasing this book. Knowing that Nicole Blackman and Anne Elliot had work in here made me do it. And am I glad I did. Like any collection there are not so stellar works in here. That doesn't matter when there is writing like "(she's the one who fixes me when I'm falling apart / -stitches me back together with nicotine and tea) / she's the kind of girl who can make a dress / out of a garbage bag. / she always somehow looks better than I ever will / there's a lot of drag queen in her." (Nicole Blackman - "Iris") This collection grew out of the phenomenon that is Poemfone...call a number and hear a new poem every day. What a way to inspire a flurry of creativity in a writer...give them thirty 1 day deadlines in a row. This book is the fruit of that labor...and I believe it can, should and will shape the way young writers view poetry & the creation of same. It certainly did that for me. Raw, real, breaking the rules, creating new ones, this is poetry you can sink your teeth into. Most of the time the words beg you to do just that...tear into them and rip off a bloody chunk, swallow it whole and feel it inside you. Use this book as nutrition. It can sustain life.
Rating:
Summary: This book saved my life!
Review: Okay At first i only bought this book cuz nicole blackman had some of her work in it...but after sitting down and reading this I was intoxicated...I saw true emotions, they swore, made fun of others and themselves, talked about sex in all its' forms of taboo, This book also inspired me to kepp writing. alot of my poetry comes when i'm dark and angry so i have atendency to be very blunt honest and harsh...the poets in this book showed me that it was ok to be like that.....
Rating:
Summary: And you thought you knew poetry...
Review: Sometimes funny, sometimes sad, sometimes shocking, VTH is a great collection of the most innovative and stirring poems written in the past fifty years. Tossing out the rules established by great poets before them, the 26 poets in this book explore a variety of topics, from an obsession of someone's butt to getting a magnifying glass for your birthday to a love letter to a specific part of an ex lover's body. Do yourself a favor and liberate your mind from the dated guidelines of antique poety. This book shattered my preconcieved idea of poetry, picked it up and glued it back together, this time with more attitude and freedom. And more passion. Definately more passion.
Rating:
Summary: Verses That Shooth
Review: This book is amazing, Plain and simple. Its an awsome book, the way the poets describe life and their trials is really rather soothing. When I bought the book I was pulled in by the title and then by the story on the poem phone. If you enjoy soft love poems this is not the book for you. While the romace does spill from the pages in a way almost undiscribable, so does the pain and truth so that you can almost her the poet's voice. The out front personallity of the poets' is the most enthralling element of the book's winning formula. BUY IT! YOU WON'T REGRET IT!
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