Part of me feels like "Well, hell, there's already a ton of reviews of this one, so people are obviously reading it" but another part of me knows that all of the praise is well-deserved. Dickman's collection is cohesive, it all feels "just right" in its place here. It's a collection I would assign to any class trying to get a handle on contemporary poetry because it's just very readable and his favorite trick, the Whitman and Dickinson perfected catalog, is used most effectively to create what they created - lovely, all-encompassing portraits you can place yourself in... not what lesser hands have often built: sixth-grade collages of "my favorite things." Very passionate and quietly moving, Matthew Dickman’s poems do, however, contain an element of discord, a feeling of incompleteness. This could be an intentional lack of polish but it leaves otherwise touching, and occasionally powerful, poems feeling like works in progress. Dickman’s portrayal of life and loves, relationships and American culture are incredibly evocative, capturing perfectly the small moments that leave deep impressions.
What do You think about All-American Poem (2008)?
I'm not into poetry--AT ALL--but this was genius! Harboring a big fat crush on Mr.Dickman!
—bethymay
The voice in these poems just seems too happy with itself/ full of itself for my taste.
—anuujint
Five stars for telling the truth, minus one for making it so sad and lonely.
—Lura
note to self: need more opportunities to dance with exquisite strangers.
—epeck12
