Lardcake - Tapa blanda

Chosen as a "Best Book for 1996" in the Halifax Mail Star. Now in its second printing. Lardcake is a collection of original and frequently humorous poems that find their inspiration in the world of popular culture. Pleas to the spirit of Elvis Presley, monologues from Elly May Clampett and Darrin Stevens, mock epics about Babe Ruth in the underworld, valedictory speeches to please Oprah, lyrics occasioned by pork products and confessions from somebody who claims to have gone out with Beverly Hills 90210 star Shannen Doherty are all just part of Lardcake's ingredients. A scholar of contemporary culture and literature, the poet is not satisfied with merely satirizing pop icons but in transforming their apparent realities into distinct celebrations of the powers of art and love. The poems, like the elegy for Alan Hale Jr. -- the actor who played the Skipper on Gilligan's Island -- will naturally please pop aficionados but will also impress readers of contemporary poetry with their expressive details.

David McGimpsey is a poet, fiction writer, popular culture critic, and the author of "Dogboy." He lives in Montreal, Quebec.