Milk & Filth

Adding to the Latina tradition, Carmen GimŽnez Smith, politically aware and feminist-oriented, focuses on general cultural references rather than a sentimental personal narrative. She speaks of sexual politics and family in a fierce, determined tone voracious in its opinions about freedom and responsibility. ÊÊ ÊThe author engages in mythology and art history, musically wooing the reader with texture and voice. As she references such disparate cultural figures as filmmaker Lars Von Trier, Annie from the film Annie Get Your Gun, NabokovÕs Lolita, facebook entries and Greek gods, they appear as part of the poetÕs cultural critique. ÊÊ ÊPhrases such as Òthe caustic domain of urchinsÓ and Òthe gelatin shiver of teaÕs surfaceÓ take the poems from lyrical images to comic humor to angry, intense commentary. On writing about Òdowngrading into human,Ó she says, ÒThen what? Amorality, osteoporosis and not even a marble estuary for the ages.Ó ÊÊ Ê GimŽnez SmithÕs poetic arsenal includes rapier-sharp wordplay mixed with humor, at times self-deprecating, at others an ironic comment on the postmodern world, all interwoven with imaginative language of unexpected force and surreal beauty. Revealing a long view of gender issues and civil rights, the author presents a clever, comic perspective. Her poems take the reader to unusual places as she uses rhythm, images, and emotion to reveal the narratorÕs personality. Deftly blending a variety of tones and styles, GimŽnez SmithÕs poems offer a daring and evocative look at deep cultural issues.