Brutally Frank
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Author: Mark Berriman
Reviews: “Berriman’s poems are straight-talking us right from the title: Brutally Frank . . . Damn right they are, and stylistically they fall somewhere between Bukowski and Ginsberg. I read the whole damn book in a sitting, and I like that he writes fearlessly, unflinchingly, pulling no punches, and eliminating any purely connective punctuation or parts of speech: the last two lines of ‘Sam Shepard’ are pure perfection. ‘Cinematographers’ and ‘Where Will I Wear It?’ are classics. The book could as easily have been titled simply Here’s What I Have to Say, and what he has to say is well said and well worth your time and money.”
—Gerald Locklin,
author of Charles Bukowski: A Sure Bet and The Vampires Saved America
“These extraordinary poems give us a good look at every aspect of life as we know it, with all of its beauty and human frailty exposed. Hilarious heartwarming poems, and some that may break your heart, each with a wonderful power all its own.”
—Carol Connolly, Saint Paul Poet Laureate
“There are times, when reading these poems, where one will slip through some sudden, invisible opening, and for a brief and blissful moment free fall inside the human soul.
—TD Mischke, Minnesota writer, musician, and radio talk show host
“Berriman is a poet with an attitude or, more accurately, a poet with several attitudes. When it comes to the misuse of power, he may rage on like an early Ginsberg tinged with a hint of Dylan Thomas, but other poems yield to fantasy, and a strong attachment to family frequently dominates his thinking. This is a collection that will keep its readers on edge, although not always comfortably so. There is much to think about here, and many readers will go away puzzling over things that might be done to make our world a better place.
—Bill McDonald, author of Dakota Incarnate
Reviews: “Berriman’s poems are straight-talking us right from the title: Brutally Frank . . . Damn right they are, and stylistically they fall somewhere between Bukowski and Ginsberg. I read the whole damn book in a sitting, and I like that he writes fearlessly, unflinchingly, pulling no punches, and eliminating any purely connective punctuation or parts of speech: the last two lines of ‘Sam Shepard’ are pure perfection. ‘Cinematographers’ and ‘Where Will I Wear It?’ are classics. The book could as easily have been titled simply Here’s What I Have to Say, and what he has to say is well said and well worth your time and money.”
—Gerald Locklin,
author of Charles Bukowski: A Sure Bet and The Vampires Saved America
“These extraordinary poems give us a good look at every aspect of life as we know it, with all of its beauty and human frailty exposed. Hilarious heartwarming poems, and some that may break your heart, each with a wonderful power all its own.”
—Carol Connolly, Saint Paul Poet Laureate
“There are times, when reading these poems, where one will slip through some sudden, invisible opening, and for a brief and blissful moment free fall inside the human soul.
—TD Mischke, Minnesota writer, musician, and radio talk show host
“Berriman is a poet with an attitude or, more accurately, a poet with several attitudes. When it comes to the misuse of power, he may rage on like an early Ginsberg tinged with a hint of Dylan Thomas, but other poems yield to fantasy, and a strong attachment to family frequently dominates his thinking. This is a collection that will keep its readers on edge, although not always comfortably so. There is much to think about here, and many readers will go away puzzling over things that might be done to make our world a better place.
—Bill McDonald, author of Dakota Incarnate