Review by Diana Tuorto on amazon.com:
When RJ Clarken gave her poetry collection, Mugging for the Camera, the subtitle "A Word is Worth a Thousand Pictures (Give or Take a Few...)," she wasn't kidding.Mugging is a collection of many of the most witty, thought-provoking, and entertaining poems that I've ever read (and for a former English major that has taken a lifetime of poetry courses, that is truly saying something). Clarken provides literally hundreds, if not thousands, of individual poetic snapshots, giving life to at least a thousand unique and underused words along the way. The result is an enjoyable amusement park ride through Clarken's own life and experiences, as well as a closer look at odd news headlines, highlights of the human condition, and even "dead famous folks."
Clarken's greatest strength perhaps lies in her ability to word play. In the "Click! Some Defining Moments Captured" section, Clarken takes on juxtaposition and punctuation, and most notably ampersands. In A Sarab& for the Ampers&, she writes "Economy of words, they said, is what's in great dem&, so choosing symbols carefully can make books fall or st&." In this clever poem, Clarken has made punctuation and grammar playful and fun--learning about grammar this way would surely make any student smile. She also is able to poke fun at herself for being a wordy writer.
Clarken also provides amusing abridged CliffsNotes, for those too lazy to pick up a Shakespeare play. In Hamlet, she writes "To be or not to...? Ophelia drowns herself. Other Danes die too." These witty snapshots engage the reader, and Shakespeare might just owe Clarken some royalties after this read.
One of my favorite poems from Clarken's collection is Ish Ka Bibble. Clarken is able to take his nonsense phrase and make the reader seriously question why it isn't more widely used--if, for no other reason, because it's a lot of fun to say out loud.
A number of poems from Mugging have appeared in such publications as Möbius, Sol Magazine, and Asinine Poetry, and rightly so--there is truly something for everyone in this diverse collection. After reading Mugging for the Camera, one thing is certain--Clarken should never complain about being wordy, for talent like this is a rare and enjoyable gift. When RJ Clarken gave her poetry collection, Mugging for the Camera, the subtitle "A Word is Worth a Thousand Pictures (Give or Take a Few...)," she wasn't kidding.
Mugging is a collection of many of the most witty, thought-provoking, and entertaining poems that I've ever read (and for a former English major that has taken a lifetime of poetry courses, that is truly saying something). Clarken provides literally hundreds, if not thousands, of individual poetic snapshots, giving life to at least a thousand unique and underused words along the way. The result is an enjoyable amusement park ride through Clarken's own life and experiences, as well as a closer look at odd news headlines, highlights of the human condition, and even "dead famous folks."
Clarken's greatest strength perhaps lies in her ability to word play. In the "Click! Some Defining Moments Captured" section, Clarken takes on juxtaposition and punctuation, and most notably ampersands. In A Sarab& for the Ampers&, she writes "Economy of words, they said, is what's in great dem&, so choosing symbols carefully can make books fall or st&." In this clever poem, Clarken has made punctuation and grammar playful and fun--learning about grammar this way would surely make any student smile. She also is able to poke fun at herself for being a wordy writer.
Clarken also provides amusing abridged CliffsNotes, for those too lazy to pick up a Shakespeare play. In Hamlet, she writes "To be or not to...? Ophelia drowns herself. Other Danes die too." These witty snapshots engage the reader, and Shakespeare might just owe Clarken some royalties after this read.
One of my favorite poems from Clarken's collection is Ish Ka Bibble. Clarken is able to take his nonsense phrase and make the reader seriously question why it isn't more widely used--if, for no other reason, because it's a lot of fun to say out loud.
A number of poems from Mugging have appeared in such publications as Möbius, Sol Magazine, and Asinine Poetry, and rightly so--there is truly something for everyone in this diverse collection. After reading Mugging for the Camera, one thing is certain--Clarken should never complain about being wordy, for talent like this is a rare and enjoyable gift.