Review
Listed as a "New and Noteworthy Book" in "Poets & Writers"
"Citizen's lyrics are a fine mixture of the crisp and the luxurious if such a combination is possible. With only two or three exceptions, no poem is more than a page long. Things go quickly. The poet gets in, does his work, and gets out. However within that space is a carnival of language, and the reader loves the short wild ride, in part because Shurin revels in the glory of words. He knows they can take us places and entertain, and he allows them to (read: makes them) do both... the whole book, is an embrace of the fantastic."--"The Huffington Post"
"Much of his language and imagery emerges from associative thought, a skillful rendering of self as processed through language. In his prose poems in particular, Shurin borrows words and phrases from others, making them his own lens on the inner and outer worlds, allowing him to manifest many selves; they are all both him and not him." --"Jacket2"
"Lyrical and sketched with lush strokes of purpose and panache, these densely evocative paragraphs demonstrate a wide range of moods and desires. It would be difficult to find a piece in Shurin's tightly constructed bounty that doesn't reiterate the beauty of his cerebrally-interpreted text, but there are indeed standouts and, conversely, some pages that could possibly rise above the heads of more inexperienced poetry fanatics." --"The Bay Area Reporter"
"These new, 60-plus, mostly one-page are bursts of lyric intensity and sensual imagery with at times hints of personal passions and sexual moments - '...A pulley system raising chin or ass - yanked in - grommet eyes - your grin flushed out as your hand clutches....' Each of the solid texts is saturated with words, a rush and a tumble of exciting and excitable but at all times controlled excess. This is writing that is volatile and nuanced, vivid and innovative, vital and inviting." --"Q Syndicate"
"The best pieces, like 'The Stillnes
About the Author
Aaron Shurin is the author of ten books of poetry and prose, most recently King of Shadows, a collection of personal essays (City Lights, 2008). His work has appeared in over thirty national and international anthologies, and has been translated into French, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Romanian, Slovenian, Ukrainian, and Greek. His honors include literary fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the California Arts Council, the San Francisco Arts Commission, and the Gerbode Foundation. A longtime educator, Shurin is a Professor in the MFA Writing Program at the University of San Francisco.
