Random Exorcisms

In his latest collection, Random Exorcisms, Adrian C. Louis writes poems with the rough-edged wit and heart-wrenching sincerity that make him one of the seminal voices in contemporary American poetry. Deeply rooted in Native American traditions and folklore, these poems tackle a broad range of subjects, including Facebook, zombies, horror movies, petty grievances, real grief, and pure political outrage. In a style entirely his own, Louis writes hilarious, genuine, self-deprecating poems that expel a great many demons, including any sense of isolation a reader might feel facing a harsh and lonely world. In the poem ""Necessary Exorcism,"" the speaker exorcises himself, more or less, of his grief for his deceased wife. ""I made my choice so easily & picked red drama, the joyous pain of it all,"" he writes. ""Minor Exorcism: 1984"" is one of a series of poems that contemplates the memories of small, simple mundanes, like catching a fish, until, ""My old heart is thrashing with / long-forgotten boyhood joy."" ""Dog the Bounty Hunter Blogs"" confronts some of the cruel absurdities of reality TV, while ""Naked, Midnight, Sober, Facebooking"" expels a great many fearful things, including the fear of growing older. These are poems that make you laugh and cry, nod appreciatively, and then laugh just a little more.