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sloatsj's review against another edition
5.0
Creative, dynamic, surprising. What else do you want? Much enjoyed.
natraum's review against another edition
5.0
Sharp, clever poetry formed from erasures of Shia LaBeouf interviews. How can you go wrong?
kellylynnthomas's review against another edition
4.0
Read my full review of this book on my blog: Small Press Dispatch: I am Not Famous Anymore
So, confession time: My only knowledge of Shia LaBeouf prior to reading Erin Dorney’s delightful collection of erasure poems was as the kid from Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull who maybe got drunk and disorderly a time or two? I thought of him as just another messed up Hollywood washout.
After reading I Am Not Famous Anymore (Mason Jar Press, 2018), culled from interviews LaBeouf did with various publications including GQ and Rolling Stone, I did a Wikipedia deep dive. I learned that LaBeouf has been accused of plagiarism multiple times, that he now does performance art, and that the title and cover of Dorney’s book is based on a stunt he pulled in 2014 where he wore a paper bag over his head to some award show. He’s also been arrested multiple times, as recently as 2017.
Keep reading this review:Small Press Dispatch: I am Not Famous Anymore
So, confession time: My only knowledge of Shia LaBeouf prior to reading Erin Dorney’s delightful collection of erasure poems was as the kid from Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull who maybe got drunk and disorderly a time or two? I thought of him as just another messed up Hollywood washout.
After reading I Am Not Famous Anymore (Mason Jar Press, 2018), culled from interviews LaBeouf did with various publications including GQ and Rolling Stone, I did a Wikipedia deep dive. I learned that LaBeouf has been accused of plagiarism multiple times, that he now does performance art, and that the title and cover of Dorney’s book is based on a stunt he pulled in 2014 where he wore a paper bag over his head to some award show. He’s also been arrested multiple times, as recently as 2017.
Keep reading this review:Small Press Dispatch: I am Not Famous Anymore
meganmilks's review against another edition
5.0
Clever, fun, riveting collection of poems built from interviews with Shia LaBeouf -- with tonal effects ranging from eerie to lightly mocking to all over. Erin invited me to write an intro for this, so I did! Here's an excerpt:
"In the 21st century there is no personal language, Shia LaBeouf has claimed by way of defending himself against charges of plagiarism. Only personal selection of language. [EDIT: I'm pretty sure this is a Kenneth Goldsmith quote and I'm not sure why I didn't note that here?] With these poems built from his words, Erin Dorney plagiarizes the plagiarist from the privileged position of the poet who, never having been famous, doesn’t have to be sorry. She’s after him, then, in an inquisitive way, sliding thoughtfully inside his language and hitting refresh, refresh, refresh, to give us a new read, a new feed... "
Find the book here: http://www.masonjarpress.xyz/chapbooks-1/i-am-not-famous-anymore-pre-sale-only
"In the 21st century there is no personal language, Shia LaBeouf has claimed by way of defending himself against charges of plagiarism. Only personal selection of language. [EDIT: I'm pretty sure this is a Kenneth Goldsmith quote and I'm not sure why I didn't note that here?] With these poems built from his words, Erin Dorney plagiarizes the plagiarist from the privileged position of the poet who, never having been famous, doesn’t have to be sorry. She’s after him, then, in an inquisitive way, sliding thoughtfully inside his language and hitting refresh, refresh, refresh, to give us a new read, a new feed... "
Find the book here: http://www.masonjarpress.xyz/chapbooks-1/i-am-not-famous-anymore-pre-sale-only
jamesfigy's review against another edition
5.0
In I Am Not Famous Anymore, Erin Dorney pulls off a difficult yet mesmerizing feat: turning an assortment of Shia LaBeouf interviews into pure, poetic magic. Maybe it's due to the unassuming length of most of the pieces, but these poems fly in like a whirlwind and leave the reader in shambles.
Each beginning grabs the reader. ("The Premise," for example: "I can't be more real. / I couldn't find the space.") Then the text spins you around to end with perfectly unexpected turn. (From "The Most Meat I've Ever Had to Chew": "This rabbit pulls truth / out of fiction.") The poems leave you asking, "What just happened? How did she get away with that? And hey, where's my wallet?" So there's no choice but to go back and reread, to relive the experience all over again. Somehow they always seem just as fresh.
This incredible debut shows Dorney as a voice not to be ignored and erasure as a form not to write off. I Am Not Famous Anymore proves, through the sincerity, swiftness, and intelligence of its verse, that no matter who says something first, the poet always says it best. As the speaker says in "Hey Boss": "You can be whatever the fuck / you give up."
Each beginning grabs the reader. ("The Premise," for example: "I can't be more real. / I couldn't find the space.") Then the text spins you around to end with perfectly unexpected turn. (From "The Most Meat I've Ever Had to Chew": "This rabbit pulls truth / out of fiction.") The poems leave you asking, "What just happened? How did she get away with that? And hey, where's my wallet?" So there's no choice but to go back and reread, to relive the experience all over again. Somehow they always seem just as fresh.
This incredible debut shows Dorney as a voice not to be ignored and erasure as a form not to write off. I Am Not Famous Anymore proves, through the sincerity, swiftness, and intelligence of its verse, that no matter who says something first, the poet always says it best. As the speaker says in "Hey Boss": "You can be whatever the fuck / you give up."
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