Hamburger Valley, California

By (author): David McGimpsey

Canadian poetry, well done, with everything, to go. Hamburger Valley, California is David McGimpsey’s funniest and most compelling collection to date. With his unapologetic love of popular culture, he presents an elaborate lyric postcard, which explores, from a most unprivileged seat on the cheapest bus, love and (somebody else’s) fame. McGimpsey challenges the bonds of place in a global (American) economy — with personal warmth and characteristic wisecracking — daring to dream of escape not only to an impossibly meaty Southern California, but to the sous-sol of the poetic heart. How can we best celebrate the Los Angeles subway? What’s Wayne Gretzky doing in retirement? What fantasy stems from a British soap opera star? How is life like aging daredevil Evel Knieval? What did Mike Pearson say to LBJ? Who the hell is Vili Fualauu? How does cutting classes lead to absurd fantasies of Toronto? What will happen in the next millennium? What rhymes with Liberace? McGimpsey answers these questions in a way that will make you think you always wanted to know the answer. The daring, hilarious title poem, though, is the pièce de resistance: it braves every aspect of hamburger lore as a response to what Shakespeare called, “the plague and sighing of grief.” No quick snack, Hamburger Valley, California is a poetry lover’s grand buffet.

AUTHOR

David McGimpsey

David McGimpsey is the author of five collections of poetry (Lardcake, Dogboy, Hamburger Valley, California, and Sitcom) and one collection of short stories (Certifiable). David has a PhD in English Literature and is the author of the critically-acclaimed and award-winning study Imagining Baseball: America’s Pastime and Popular Culture. He is a songwriter and performer – a member of the rock band Puggy Hammer and a local stand-up comedian. His travel writings frequently appear in The Globe and Mail and he writes the ‘Sandwich of the Month’ column for EnRoute magazine. David McGimpsey currently lives in Montreal and teaches at Concordia University.


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Canadian poetry, well done, with everything, to go. Hamburger Valley, California is David McGimpsey’s funniest and most compelling collection to date. With his unapologetic love of popular culture, he presents an elaborate lyric postcard, which explores, from a most unprivileged seat on the cheapest bus, love and (somebody else’s) fame. McGimpsey challenges the bonds of place in a global (American) economy — with personal warmth and characteristic wisecracking — daring to dream of escape not only to an impossibly meaty Southern California, but to the sous-sol of the poetic heart. How can we best celebrate the Los Angeles subway? What’s Wayne Gretzky doing in retirement? What fantasy stems from a British soap opera star? How is life like aging daredevil Evel Knieval? What did Mike Pearson say to LBJ? Who the hell is Vili Fualauu? How does cutting classes lead to absurd fantasies of Toronto? What will happen in the next millennium? What rhymes with Liberace? McGimpsey answers these questions in a way that will make you think you always wanted to know the answer. The daring, hilarious title poem, though, is the pièce de resistance: it braves every aspect of hamburger lore as a response to what Shakespeare called, “the plague and sighing of grief.” No quick snack, Hamburger Valley, California is a poetry lover’s grand buffet.

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Details

Dimensions:

140 Pages
8.5in * 5.5in *
0.38lb

Published:

April 01, 2001

City of Publication:

Toronto

Country of Publication:

CA

Publisher:

ECW Press

ISBN:

9781550224566

Book Subjects:

POETRY / American / General

Featured In:

All Books

Language:

eng

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