All Around What Empties Out, Linh Dinh, Subpress/Tinfish, 2003

Dinh sets up and sustains a warmly amusing polite rudeness with controlled riff-switching and paratactic absurdities.

Catullus without the vendettas.

Every page is designed with a repetitive light decorative noise that frames the poems. I found this annoying at first but it wound up contributing to the overall humor by the end.

Cinematic dream presentations, tweaked, sweet chumminess with a chaser of mockery. Ren and Stimpy?

The poetic labor is distributed equally among a self-consciously (and ironically and absurdly) crafted persona, the vibes and connotations of the language, and the interestingly mixed feelings about the traditions being incorporated/mocked -- confessional poetry, books of dream-image interpretation, surreal prose-poetry, etc.

Serious issues of identity sneaking in amongst the careful ironic/absurd whimsy?