A Pound of Steam by Dessa (Rain Taxi, 2013)
It’s no secret that here at Hazel & Wren we’re fans of Dessa. We spoke with her two years ago about her writing and reviewed her book Spiral Bound (2009) and short story “Sleeping With Nikki,” both from Doomtree’s press wing. Since then, she’s released a critically acclaimed album called Parts of Speech that has cemented her as rapper who has a true love of language and literature. Which is to say, it came as no surprise when Rain Taxi released her new chapbook, A Pound of Steam, earlier this year.
For those who have followed Dessa’s career and the varied writing she has done, it’s rather fascinating to see the way she compartmentalizes ideas and separates narrative types into different modes. These poems are contemplative and focus on the small details of their subjects. “Saya” wonders, for instance, whether a robot designed to teach schoolchildren “[…] sees in color— / maybe it’s just heat and motion […].”
I wonder if the children are free to touch her
and if they are
I wonder if she can feel it.
The minutia explored works well on the page where the content isn’t restricted by the constraints of a pop song.
A Pound of Steam is also free of constraints such as strict rhyme to the point that you can almost hear Dessa straining against that impulse. Oddly, this tension means that a musical throb underlies the poems, though she has freed herself of rap’s heavy meter also. The rhythm of these poems is subtler; an interplay between word choice and word order.
But our last long winter
washed the color from her face.
Now she cannot be induced to blush
for shame or love or fever.
—“The Clown’s New Wife”
There’s a slant rhyme here of winter/color/fever and some lovely consonance in washed, she, blush, and shame all of which seems to come from years of writing rap lyrics. While these poems don’t have the bombast of rap, they do ask to be read aloud.
Thematically, A Pound of Steam is satisfyingly cohesive, with naming and self-creation as central points that explore how these characters move through the world. The opening poem, “Dear Sir or Madam,” begins, “We changed your name while you were sleeping […]” and the following poem, “The Letter S.”, opens, “By the time that I arrived / you could not say my name […].” Even when names aren’t at the fore, invented or imagined self becomes the theme, as in “Kept Company” about an imaginary friend created by a young girl. The idea of self-creation, either through a name or a willful act of imagining, is an interesting concept from a writer who has spent much of her creative life in the public eye.
A Pound of Steam is a strong outing from Dessa who has been publicly finding her voice for the last several years, both as a writer and a musician. Every new project she releases is a little stronger than the last, a little more realized. She continues to challenge herself and her audience to branch out beyond the expected, and the results thus far have been stunning.
What other artists work in multiple genres and forms successfully?
Thanks to everyone who stopped by our table at Rain Taxi’s Twin Cities Book Festival last weekend! We had a blast meeting all of you.
For those of you who didn’t make it to the festival: your loss. No, really.* In addition to free, sassy letterpress bookmarks up for grabs, we also had two drawings to win a letterpress print of your choice: one, a general email club drawing, and the other, a Faux Ad contest. Since we had such a great turnout, we decided to pick two names out of a very cute hat for the email drawing. Our winners are (drumroll, please): Cat Holm and Mindy Rhiger. Congratulations, Cat and Mindy!
To enter the Faux Ad contest, visitors were tasked with writing a headline to accompany the lovely model shown below. As the pressure mounted, hair follicles tore from heads, arm pits gushed sweat, and fat tears rolled down cheeks. Yet somehow, despite all the agony, at the end of the day we had a bunch of hilarious headlines to choose from, including the winning line, by Ari Edes: “Orange juice after brushing your teeth is as gross as they said!” We’re proud of you, our dear, witty friends.
The moral of this story? Come visit us. We reward sass, sweat, and wit with free stuff. It’s awesome.
* But we forgive you anyway.
http://www.raintaxi.com/bookfest/
Rain Taxi proudly announces the eleventh annual
TWIN CITIES BOOK FESTIVAL
Saturday, October 15, 2011
10:00 AM TO 5:00 PM
As always, FREE and open to the public.
The annual Twin Cities Book Festival is a celebration of books and reading that isFREE and open to the general public. This year’s Festival will once again feature a fantastic Exhibit and Book Fair showcasing a wide range of publishers, literary organizations, booksellers, and more; Readings and Talks by renowned authors from near and far; Rain Taxi’s annual Used Book Sale; a Literary Magazine Fair sponsored by CLMP, and much more! And there are plenty of storytelling, crafts, music, and activities at the Children’s Pavilion, sponsored by Metro Public Libraries!
EXHIBIT AND BOOK FAIR
The fantastic Book Fair showcases a wide range of publishers, literary organizations, booksellers, and more! Check back for a complete listing of exhibitors, exhibitor specials, and events happening throughout the day! Exhibitor Registration is now FULL. Click here to get on the waiting list.
READINGS AND TALKS
The Festival features renowned authors from near and far! CLICK HERE for a special preview of guest authors and panelists, and check back soon for a complete schedule of appearances.
CHILDREN’S PAVILION
Sponsored by the Metro Public Libraries! Join us for author readings, performances, games, crafts, and more! CLICK HERE for a complete schedule of events and more information about the authors and performers for this year’s Children’ Pavilion!
USED BOOK SALE and LITERARY MAGAZINE FAIR
Hunt for literary treasures among the stacks at the favorite Rain Taxi Used Book Sale! All proceeds go to help support the nonprofit Rain Taxi’s endeavors! And don’t forget to see what new literary magazines are available at cheap, try-out prices—sponsored by CLMP!
More details to be announced shortly! Check back soon for further information—or to receive email updates about the Twin Cities Book Festival and other Rain Taxi events, please CLICK HERE to get on our mailing list.
2011 FESTIVAL KICK-OFF EVENT
Exclusive screening of the documentary Shelf Life
Rain Taxi invites all book lovers to a special Twin Cities Book Festival kick-off event, featuring an exclusive screening of the documentary film, Shelf Life. A charming look at a day in the life of Powell’s City of Books, Shelf Life pays homage to the passionate writers, readers, and booksellers that bring vitality to independent bookstores. The film features luminaries Chuck Palahniuk, Ursula K. Le Guin, Karen Armstrong, and Festival guestDiana Abu-Jaber, among others. Shelf Life is directed by Lisa Day, who edited Jonathan Demme’s acclaimed Stop Making Sense and served as a consulting producer to Martin Scorcese’s PBS series The Blues.
SCREENING AT 7:45 PM. DOORS OPEN AT 7:00 PM
WITH A PRE-FILM RECEPTION FEATURING:Music by PAUL METSA
Soft drinks and movie treats
Mingling with Book Festival authors and supportersWHEN: Friday, October 14, 2011
WHERE: The Whitney Fine Arts Theater at MCTC, right off Loring Park.
CLICK HERE for campus map of theater location and directions.TICKETS are $20, and seating is limited. Click below to purchase your tickets now!
Price includes entry into a Prize Raffle!Proceeds support Rain Taxi Review of Books, which brings you the Twin Cities Book Festival, the Twin Cities Literary Calendar, and the Rain Taxi Reading Series. If you can’t attend but would like to support Rain Taxi and the Twin Cities Book Festival, please click here!
