A review by Irene Koronas

Our friend Doug Holder of the Ibettson Street Press sent over this review by North Cambridge poet and painter Irene Koronas:

[irene koronas is the poetry editor of the Wilderness House Literary Review]

Shin Yu Pai "sightings," selected works, (200 - 2005) $16.00 1913 Press www.1913press.org 1913 pressbox 9654hollins universityroanoke, virginia 24020

The rhythm of Shin Yu Pai’s book, ‘sightings’ reaches from present form to past particles. her form often sings. broken into four parts, each section holds it’s own beat. ‘the love hotel poems,’ blast us with reality…”jesus the name of just another john.” consumerism and the philosophy of consumerism are attacked in a sublime soak, and we readers blot up the
excesses.

the second set of poems kick off, “unnecessary roughness,” the locker room, band practice lists, the ever present dilemma poets face in presenting their own time. Shin Yu Pai plucks us out of the ordinary and dips us in the opposites. the poet ties us up and makes us listen. she sits us in front of a video screen, “concave is the opposite of convex,” her explanation an assumption in explanation. the line surface reveals the motionless scenes taken from books.

Shin Yu Pai

“nutritional feed.” i don’t think the poet understands; (or perhaps she does) she doesn’t have to hide messages, need not hussied up with old typewritten, bold face text, tests. she ventures off, ventures in space without….. she presents an array of images that might work better through integration, words crossed out don’t make it visual. If the reader scrapes off some of the presentation within the last section, we come upon universal thoughts…experimentation, the need to differ and relate.

Shin Yu attempts to orchestrate a new approach to say what each generation needs to say, (life is not what we thought it could be). This book is the beginning of an aging form, the beginning of what appears to be new and challenging. it is worth the read. check this book out of your library and if they don’t have a copy, then make a suggestion for them to purchase this book.