Useful Junk
Erika Meitner
A master of documentary poetry, Erika Meitner takes up the question of desire and intimacy in her latest collection of poems.
In her previous five collections of poetry, Erika Meitner has established herself as one of America’s most incisive observers, cherished for her remarkable ability to temper catastrophe with tenderness. In her newest collection Useful Junk, Meitner considers what it means to be a sexual being in a world that sees women as invisible—as mothers, customers, passengers, worshippers, wives. These poems render our changing bodies as real and alive, shaped by the sense memories of long-lost lovers and the still thrilling touch of a spouse after years of parenthood, affirming that we are made of every intimate moment we have ever had. Letter poems to a younger poet interspersed throughout the collection question desire itself and how new technologies—Uber, sexting, Instagram—are reframing self-image and shifting the ratios of risk and reward in erotic encounters.
With dauntless vulnerability, Meitner travels a world of strip malls, supermarkets, and subway platforms, remaining porous and open to the world, always returning to the intimacies rooted deep within the self as a shout against the dying earth. Boldly affirming that pleasure is a vital form of knowledge, Useful Junk reminds us that our selves are made real and beautiful by our embodied experiences and that our desire is what keeps us alive.
Author - Erika Meitner.
Narrator - Erika Meitner.
Published Date - Wednesday, 03 January 2024.
Location:
United States
Description:
A master of documentary poetry, Erika Meitner takes up the question of desire and intimacy in her latest collection of poems. In her previous five collections of poetry, Erika Meitner has established herself as one of America’s most incisive observers, cherished for her remarkable ability to temper catastrophe with tenderness. In her newest collection Useful Junk, Meitner considers what it means to be a sexual being in a world that sees women as invisible—as mothers, customers, passengers, worshippers, wives. These poems render our changing bodies as real and alive, shaped by the sense memories of long-lost lovers and the still thrilling touch of a spouse after years of parenthood, affirming that we are made of every intimate moment we have ever had. Letter poems to a younger poet interspersed throughout the collection question desire itself and how new technologies—Uber, sexting, Instagram—are reframing self-image and shifting the ratios of risk and reward in erotic encounters. With dauntless vulnerability, Meitner travels a world of strip malls, supermarkets, and subway platforms, remaining porous and open to the world, always returning to the intimacies rooted deep within the self as a shout against the dying earth. Boldly affirming that pleasure is a vital form of knowledge, Useful Junk reminds us that our selves are made real and beautiful by our embodied experiences and that our desire is what keeps us alive. Author - Erika Meitner. Narrator - Erika Meitner. Published Date - Wednesday, 03 January 2024.
Language:
English
Chapter 1
Duration:00:00:27
Chapter 2
Duration:00:00:36
Chapter 3
Duration:00:03:17
Chapter 4
Duration:00:02:49
Chapter 5
Duration:00:03:13
Chapter 6
Duration:00:02:26
Chapter 7
Duration:00:01:49
Chapter 8
Duration:00:02:04
Chapter 9
Duration:00:04:19
Chapter 10
Duration:00:02:24
Chapter 11
Duration:00:03:53
Chapter 12
Duration:00:03:12
Chapter 13
Duration:00:05:08
Chapter 14
Duration:00:02:17
Chapter 15
Duration:00:02:37
Chapter 16
Duration:00:03:39
Chapter 17
Duration:00:04:08
Chapter 18
Duration:00:02:03
Chapter 19
Duration:00:02:30
Chapter 20
Duration:00:01:59
Chapter 21
Duration:00:02:45
Chapter 22
Duration:00:02:13
Chapter 23
Duration:00:04:23
Chapter 24
Duration:00:01:43
Chapter 25
Duration:00:01:52
Chapter 26
Duration:00:04:04
Chapter 27
Duration:00:02:52
Chapter 28
Duration:00:03:42
Chapter 29
Duration:00:02:05
Chapter 30
Duration:00:02:51
Chapter 31
Duration:00:01:36
Chapter 32
Duration:00:01:24
Chapter 33
Duration:00:02:11
Chapter 34
Duration:00:01:37
Chapter 35
Duration:00:03:46
Chapter 36
Duration:00:03:40
Chapter 37
Duration:00:02:10
Chapter 38
Duration:00:01:40
Chapter 39
Duration:00:01:45
Chapter 40
Duration:00:03:43
Chapter 41
Duration:00:02:39
Chapter 42
Duration:00:03:39
Chapter 43
Duration:00:03:15
Chapter 44
Duration:00:02:11
Chapter 45
Duration:00:01:03