cover image How 2 Write Love Poems That Don't Suck

How 2 Write Love Poems That Don't Suck

C. Weigl. Delia's, $0 (64pp) ISBN 978-0-9706304-0-7

Begun in 1993 as a direct-mail company ""offering hip, stylish apparel, shoes and accessories [to] young women aged 13 to 24 (aka Generation Y),"" dELiA*s claims an average monthly catalogue circulation of over three million, with 43 million catalogues mailed in 2000. Thus how 2 wRiTe LovE PoEMs tHaT DoN't SuCk, a small, orthographically dELiA-ized book crammed with good advice from writer and anthologist C. Weigl, addresses its target market directly: ""If you and your friends are crushing on the same person, write a communal love poem."" This little magenta marvel includes poems from Lee Ann Brown, Bill Luoma, Juliana Spahr and others, as well as explanations of the sonnet form, a guide to self-publishing and a plethora of ideas for poems; the local M.F.A. program may be in grave danger. And by the time this appears, 100,000 gen-Y-ers will have it in hand. ( Apr.)