Mike James

My Favorite Houseguest Mike James

Take a little bit of Berrigan's SONNETS, a little bit of Kerouac's BOOK OF DREAMS, throw in a dash of SPOON RIVER, and then sprinkle with a healthy dose of Saturday matinees and 70s game shows. Do all that and you'll come close to the recipe for this delightful collection of portrait and persona poems. With subjects that range from the very well known (John Wayne, Elvis), to the not as well known (Sal Mineo, Stan Brakhage), to the fairly obscure (Willard Maas, Alfred Starr Hamilton), the poet offers characters who are so human that their concerns, interests, kinks, and belly laughs are timeless.