The Octopus Game (Carnegie Mellon Poetry)

Who would even think of writing an entire book of poetry about cephalopods? It seems this is nearly what Nicky Beer has done. When I picked up the book, I expected a poem or two about an octopus or a squid, but not half of the book! Ms. Beer describes them in the loveliest ways:"a heavy-lidded proprietress who is all raised hem and no flirt." Occasionally, she digresses into discussion of humans, as in "Please indicate the total number of sexual partners (male and/or female) ____." She imagines "them in her third-grade classroom." Then, a couple or so of poems about this or that but the talk of the octopus resumes, once as a showgirl in a side-show. The "game" seems to me to be about adaptation and resistance to adaptation. Her imagery is fresh and sometimes startling: In "Marlene Dietrich reads Rilke on the Lido, 1937," she writes "The latest La Stampa is crumpled at her feet like a cheap towel, a crab dozing on Stalin's mustache." She ends "Black Hole Itinerary" with "Today, love will be like starlight; when it arrives, whatever it comes from will have already collapsed." Her use of language is rich and substantial and luscious. I hope you will choose to read this delightful book.

Nicky Beer's second book "The Octopus Game" is an enjoyable voyage into the watery depths of poetry. Many of the poems included are about marine life, and the opening poem is no exception.The first poem was first published in AGNI where I was introduced to Ms. Beer's work. "The Diminishing House"; her first book, was excellent. "The Octopus Game" is equally impressive. Volumes of vocabulary and a command of diction are hallmarks of her work. A feminine sexuality is present. The swim and roil of humanity.A recommended sequel.Allen Hagar

Nicky Beer's second collection is, to my mind, one of the smartest, sensual, accomplished books I've read in a long time. Her tight lyricism is astonishing, balanced by moments of giddiness and awe at her peculiar subject matter: octopuses. Beer is funny and fun, but also filled with longing and bewilderment. There are small poems here whose syntax just baffles me by their brilliance, and longer poems driven by filmographic narrative. A real pleasure!

I enjoyed this collection. It's varying forms, voices, etc. are original. I thought it was well-organized. I did find it hard to transition between poems at times, though. This is definitely a challenging collection and NOT for beginning poets.

a great book--polished and whip smart

Poetry has a whole weird space in my mind... This is more midnight poetry than poetry you read while drinking your morning coffee. Some of it is a little hard to understand but then Beer's poems get stuck in your head like music.

So imaginative! So smart! A very entertaining book of poetry.