Nin Andrews: Pick of the Week [ed. Terence Winch]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

__________________________________________________

If anyone reads these poems

 

they will think they know what kind of person I am. They will, I am certain,

imagine me as someone else, someone I can never be—simply because I have

written poems about you love, and about orgasms, and the poems about love

and orgasms will do that to them, and to me.  They will make me appear to be

the kind of person who is in the position to write about our orgasms, who

knows all about these orgasms: their songs and dances and secret languages.

Some might go so far as to compare me to Noah Webster, claiming that just as

he compiled an entire opus of words, carefully defining and distinguishing each

one’s particular origin, pronunciation, spelling, and proper usage, so I have

collected an opus of orgasms. And I will have to admit, with surprise, that even

if I do not imagine myself to be that sort of person, even if I don’t consider

myself an author, much less an author of an opus of orgasms, even if I no

longer want to converse with orgasms, the orgasms continue to seek me out, as

orgasms will, as if needing my blessing, as if I and only I can hear their pleas,

their wishes, their last breaths.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Nin Andrews’ poems have appeared in many literary journals and anthologies including Ploughshares, Agni, The Paris Review, and four editions of Best American Poetry. The author of seven chapbooks and seven full-length poetry collections, she has won several awards including two Ohio individual artist grants and the Ohioana 2016 Award for poetry. She is also the editor of a book of translations of the Belgian poet, Henri Michaux, Someone Wants to Steal My Name. Her most recent book, The Last Orgasm, was published by Etruscan Press in 2020.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

                      Ramon Casas i Carbó (1866–1932), After the Ball (or Young Decadent)

Comments

[David Lehman]

Terrific poem, beautifully illustrated.

[Grace Cavalieri]

My Darling Nin; If it were not for her, the world would never have had an orgasm-- but beyond that minor recreation: Nin is funny, sweet, brilliant, original, daring, iconoclastic and holy. How could we wish for more? Except for MORE NIN! MORE PLEASE.

[Nin Andrews]

Thank you David! Thank you Grace! I am so honored to be featured here!!!

[Denise Duhamel]

Nin--you HAVE compiled THE poetic "opus of orgasms." I cannot begin to tell you what your work has meant to me and to my students and upon how many MFA thesis reading lists you appear! You are an original, unclassifiable genius!!

I love the looking back in this poem, the creation of a persona!

[lally]

wickedly witty

[Don Berger]

An intelligent, ever developing, totally unique poem. Nin Andrews knows about a lot of things, including writing exquisite sentences that end up stretching momentously. A joy to read! A great pick of the week of a month of a season of a year of a life. Thanks!

[Peter Johnson]

Nin:

Think of all the cold showers you have forced people into after spending a half an hour with your orgasm poems. But people often overlook the other Nin, who writes those lyrical and autobiographical Southern poems, and then reads them in a voice Blanche Dubois would envy.

[Dr. Earle Hitchner]

This poem is right on the button--if "button" can be alluded to lasciviously. As much as I adore great music, "eargasm" just doesn't cut it. Brava, Nin, on your classical gas-m! (Mason Williams gets a residual, by the way.)

[Doug Pell]

May all your words keep coming. Wonderful work!

[susan Campbell]

Love it! And the artwork, as always!

[Nin Andrews]

Thank you all for your comments!! I am just so grateful for your kind words.