Useful Junk

Erika Meitner is a master of documentary poetry who explores desire and intimacy in her latest collection, Useful Junk. She questions what it means to be a sexual being in a world that sees women as invisible and renders our changing bodies as real and alive. Letter poems to a younger poet interspersed throughout the collection question desire itself and how new technologies are reframing self-image and shifting the ratios of risk and reward in erotic encounters. Meitner boldly affirms that pleasure is a vital form of knowledge and that our selves are made real and beautiful by our embodied experiences.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 80 pages
Publication date: 19 May 2022
Publisher: BOA Editions, Limited

Erika Meitner, a master of documentary poetry, delves into the realms of desire and intimacy in her latest collection of poems. Having established herself as one of America's most insightful observers through her previous five collections, Meitner is renowned for her remarkable ability to blend tragedy with tenderness. In her newest collection, Useful Junk, Meitner explores the essence of being a sexual being in a world that often renders women invisible. Through these poems, Meitner brings our changing bodies to life, capturing the essence of our experiences through the memories of long-lost lovers and the enduring touch of a spouse after years of parenthood. These poems affirm that we are composed of every intimate moment we have ever shared, reinforcing the idea that our bodies are truly alive.

Interspersed throughout the collection are letter poems addressed to a younger poet, delving into the question of desire itself and how new technologies, such as Uber, sexting, and Instagram, are reshaping self-image and altering the dynamics of erotic encounters. With unwavering vulnerability, Meitner embarks on a journey through strip malls, supermarkets, and subway platforms, remaining open and porous to the world. She constantly returns to the depths of her self as a defiant shout against the fading earth. Useful Junk boldly asserts that pleasure is a vital form of knowledge, reminding us that our true selves are realized and beautiful through our embodied experiences. It serves as a reminder that our desire is what sustains us, keeping us alive and vibrant in the face of adversity.

Weight: 196g
Dimension: 177 x 227 x 11 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781950774531