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O Spam Poams

by Rob Read

Book Thug (www.bookthug.ca), 2005 $17.95 (Canadian)

In Rob Read’s book he manages something quite rare—at least rarely done well—combining a formally rigorous approach with a distinct voice that comes through the constraint. Read manipulates his spam e-mail into poems, and the manipulation has rules: basically, anything can be removed, but virtually nothing (save the occasional letter) can be added. Why would anyone do this? Well, the project was not meant to be saved or even published. Read would simply send his “Daily Treated Spam” to anyone’s e-mail address he had, and eventually his list grew to include publisher Jay MillAr (sic) who enjoyed them so much he found someone who had archived enough of Read’s poems to publish a “best of.” And yes, a “best of” is entirely possible, as Read writes in the Author’s note “this is not novelty verse, it is verse that happens to have an aura of novelty around it.” Also, it is a form of recycling language, which, essentially, all poetry is anyway. This book, like spam, has something for everyone: Cialis, internationally honored degrees and discount brand cigarettes—a must-have for anyone who thinks poetry is boring.