Same Diff

"Same Diff by Donato Mancini meets at the intersection of contemporary poetry, art, and current politics. Influenced by documentary cinema such as the films of Frederic Wiseman, Dada poets, montage techniques, and a range of poets who are still writing, Same Diff explores the way social and economic histories become imprinted within language itself. The political and poetic melancholy of our moment is revealed in a long poem on climate change, particularly the disappearance of snow, while the real-life effects of fiscal austerity and poverty are voiced in fragments conveying social neuroses that stem from amplified, unfair competition for basic necessities. The nonce forms of Same Diff draw attention to their construction and history using monotype fonts, speaking to the surfaces of words and paper, and diverging from a sole focus on meaning. Each poem introduces a dominant motif that develops through repetition and incremental variations, sourcing language from newspapers, web sources, and overheard conversations to create an emotive effect, as felt in music. Bringing together research that spans from the 15th century to the present day, Same Diff searches for symbols that stand in for major social issues to articulate the nuances of living in a precarious time."--

Year

2017

Language

English

Publisher

Talonbooks, Limited

Editions

1

Pages

141

ISBN

9781772011364

Data source: Wikidata