What We’re Reading: Sierra DeMulder

New Shoes on a Dead Horse by Sierra DeMulder (Write Bloody Publishing, 2012)

Local poet Sierra DeMulder has an armful of accolades to her name already. Originally from upstate New York, DeMulder has been tearing up the slam poetry scene, including being named ninth in the world in the Individual World Poetry Slam and becoming a Women of the World Individual Poetry Slam finalist, in addition to helping her fellow St. Paul Slam Team take nationals two years in a row. To top it off, New Shoes on a Dead Horse is already her second published book from Write Bloody Publishing.

I always find it fascinating how slam poets translate into text. There are some poems (such as, fittingly,”The Microphone” which was written for Guante, another local slam poet/rapper) that read rhythmically like spoken word, and in others you can see the faint roots of slam underneath the lines. Yet most of these poems work as text poetry first and foremost.

One of the most unique things about this collection is that about half of the poems come from the viewpoint of the genius. This follows the Roman belief that the genius is a “magical divine entity who [lived] in the walls of an artist’s studio [and] would come out and invisibly assist the artist with their work” (Elizabeth Gilbert, as quoted in the author’s note). Funnily enough, however, the few poems that fell a bit flat for me were from the viewpoint of the genius. The idea is intriguing, but perhaps Sierra found the search to pinpoint her genius a bit of a struggle at times — it makes sense, he seems like a wily, rather unsatisfied one. Other poems sneak in a few lines that seem a bit amateur compared to the rest. “The Genius Complains About His Boss” is one such poem. While I appreciate the humor that this poem delivers, it feels a bit too self-deprecating, and less genuine than the majority of her writing. However, these slips in voice are few, and are easily excused between powerful images and lines that hit deep.

DeMulder’s genius takes on the voice of a male, and oftentimes that voice is irritable, sneaky, and/or grotesque. This is further complicated by the fact that many of DeMulder’s other poems feature the strength and trials of women in a feminist voice. Some of these women include historical figures, such as Queen Mary, and the rape of St. Agatha. The deeper into the collection I went, the more I noticed her penchant for dichotomies.

“The Genius Ponders His Muse” is the most revealing and personal of all the poems. In it, the genius and his muse give birth to another dark, black-clothed poem, juxtaposed by the typical birthing scene with hospital baby balloons and congratulatory teddy bears. In this poem, through the genius, DeMulder investigates her own writing in a detached, yet at the same time, intimate way. Her poems at their heaviest are often her at her strongest and most genuine.

It’s hard to narrow this collection down to a favorite poem or two. There are many striking moments throughout, such as “The moment he made my body / pulse like the crack of opening / a soda can, I thought of her” (from “Beginning with an Orgasm and Ending in Slaughter”). It’s moments like these that you can almost hear the crowd hmm-ing in appreciation at her deftness with subtle yet significant change in thought, and unexpected metaphors.

Get yourself a (signed!) copy of the book at the New Shoes on a Dead Horse Book Release Party this Sunday, 7:00 pm at Honey in Northeast Minneapolis. Not only is Sierra reading, but she’s got a line-up of openers that will make you drop your jaw (and maybe even your pants for a couple of them). John Jodzio (whose newest book of short fiction we recently reviewed), musician Kerry Alexander, and the group A LOUD HEART made up of local rapper and fellow slam poet Guante, and musician Claire Taubenhaus.