This collection plays with words with prefixes/suffixes that don't really exist without them, like 'whelmed.' It with dictionaries, cedes word histories, positions adjectives and juxtaposes noun kernels. Whelmed is a lively, roguish address to the reader, advancing the contrast between short poems and encyclopedic concordance. Much like Harryette Mullen’s Sleeping with the Dictionary (Univ. of California Press, 5800 copies sold), it pursues a subjective abecedarian, gleefully pursuing word games and taking pleasure in linguistic play, while remaining keenly aware of the social politics imbedded (and revealed) within formal language and its vernacular sequels.The tone is playful, blending disjunctive poetry and feminist writingThe form of the poems is short and quick inviting casual browsing and at the same time deep engagement, all at the reader’s whim.
