University of Pittsburgh Press, 2016 eISBN: 978-0-8229-8131-2 | Paper: 978-0-8229-6407-0 Library of Congress Classification PS3608.E766D43 2016 Dewey Decimal Classification 811.6
ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | REVIEWS | TOC | REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE
ABOUT THIS BOOK
David Hernandez’s Dear, Sincerely is his most intimate and dynamic collection to date, bringing the reader into poems that are simultaneously personal and universal, and sometimes political. With his characteristic dreamlike imagery, inventive rhythms, and biting wit, Hernandez’s voice reaches toward us with an accessible profundity. Dear, Sincerely is an imaginative book that explores the Self, the collective We, the cosmos, and the murky division that separates one from the other.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
David Hernandez’s most recent book of poetry, Hoodwinked, won the Kathryn A. Morton Prize in Poetry. His other books include Always Danger and A House Waiting for Music. He is also the author of two YA novels,No More Us for You and Suckerpunch. David teaches creative writing at California State University, Long Beach.
REVIEWS
“By turns humorous, whimsical, and provocative, Hernandez arranges this book around epistolary salutations and valedictions, with titles like “Dear Professor” and “Dear Proofreader.” . . . The best of these resemble Neruda’s odes, in which everyday objects absorb human emotions to become perfectly personified. . . A curious, kaleidoscopic work of poetic intelligence.” —Booklist
"Dear everyone, you should read David Hernandez's new book, because 'Dear, Sincerely' is a generous and inventive invitation to laughter. All of the poems in this collection possess the same qualities that great letters possess: they are entertaining and still honest, immediate, and intimate." —Rain Taxi
“A monster book of poems. Hernandez is a monster poet. These love letters are giant poems cutting a big path right into your central nervous system, once there they’ll reset the jog. Hernandez doesn’t care about you, he will happily make you laugh or cry on whim with his wicked wit. A solid stream of great ideas rendered poetic.” —Today’s Book of Poetry
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Contents
I
All-American
Comment Thread in Response to “100 Best Flowers of the Year”
Dear Death
Figures
As the History Teacher Lectures on World War I
Dear Professor
We Real Nerds
Parking FAQ
Sincerely, the Sky
Dear Proofreader
Poem Beginning with a Line from Robert Hass
We Would Never Sleep
Master Sommelier Blind-Tastes a Glass of Water
The Prophecies of B. B. Guthrie
Anyone Who Is Still Trying
II
The New
Building a Joke
Thirteen
Sincerely, Blue Blood
Dear Mockingbird
Sincerely, Paper Gown
Ode to Morphine
Mayfly
Sincerely, the Blue Jay
Dear Doorknob
Yesterday a Mylar Balloon
Self-Portrait as Team Mascot
Sincerely, the Cat’s Eye
Black Site
The Universe
Acknowledgments
REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE
If you are a student who cannot use this book in printed form, BiblioVault may be able to supply you
with an electronic file for alternative access.
Please have the accessibility coordinator at your school fill out this form.
University of Pittsburgh Press, 2016 eISBN: 978-0-8229-8131-2 Paper: 978-0-8229-6407-0
David Hernandez’s Dear, Sincerely is his most intimate and dynamic collection to date, bringing the reader into poems that are simultaneously personal and universal, and sometimes political. With his characteristic dreamlike imagery, inventive rhythms, and biting wit, Hernandez’s voice reaches toward us with an accessible profundity. Dear, Sincerely is an imaginative book that explores the Self, the collective We, the cosmos, and the murky division that separates one from the other.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
David Hernandez’s most recent book of poetry, Hoodwinked, won the Kathryn A. Morton Prize in Poetry. His other books include Always Danger and A House Waiting for Music. He is also the author of two YA novels,No More Us for You and Suckerpunch. David teaches creative writing at California State University, Long Beach.
REVIEWS
“By turns humorous, whimsical, and provocative, Hernandez arranges this book around epistolary salutations and valedictions, with titles like “Dear Professor” and “Dear Proofreader.” . . . The best of these resemble Neruda’s odes, in which everyday objects absorb human emotions to become perfectly personified. . . A curious, kaleidoscopic work of poetic intelligence.” —Booklist
"Dear everyone, you should read David Hernandez's new book, because 'Dear, Sincerely' is a generous and inventive invitation to laughter. All of the poems in this collection possess the same qualities that great letters possess: they are entertaining and still honest, immediate, and intimate." —Rain Taxi
“A monster book of poems. Hernandez is a monster poet. These love letters are giant poems cutting a big path right into your central nervous system, once there they’ll reset the jog. Hernandez doesn’t care about you, he will happily make you laugh or cry on whim with his wicked wit. A solid stream of great ideas rendered poetic.” —Today’s Book of Poetry
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Contents
I
All-American
Comment Thread in Response to “100 Best Flowers of the Year”
Dear Death
Figures
As the History Teacher Lectures on World War I
Dear Professor
We Real Nerds
Parking FAQ
Sincerely, the Sky
Dear Proofreader
Poem Beginning with a Line from Robert Hass
We Would Never Sleep
Master Sommelier Blind-Tastes a Glass of Water
The Prophecies of B. B. Guthrie
Anyone Who Is Still Trying
II
The New
Building a Joke
Thirteen
Sincerely, Blue Blood
Dear Mockingbird
Sincerely, Paper Gown
Ode to Morphine
Mayfly
Sincerely, the Blue Jay
Dear Doorknob
Yesterday a Mylar Balloon
Self-Portrait as Team Mascot
Sincerely, the Cat’s Eye
Black Site
The Universe
Acknowledgments
REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE
If you are a student who cannot use this book in printed form, BiblioVault may be able to supply you
with an electronic file for alternative access.
Please have the accessibility coordinator at your school fill out this form.
It can take 2-3 weeks for requests to be filled.
ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | REVIEWS | TOC | REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE