BOOKISH: Jane Cassaday's For the Comfort of Automated Phrases

Jane Cassady's new book of poems is like a breath of fresh air, playfully paying tribute to everything from Philly and fortune cookies to Beyoncé.

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BOOKISH: Jane Cassaday's For the Comfort of Automated Phrases

POSTED: Tuesday, July 17, 2012, 10:20 AM

From Jane Cassaday's "Dear Philadelphia"—

“…But you know what, I surrender,

your openhearted narrow streets,

trolley-tracked arterials form one room

of lighting-crack hearts to the next…”

For the Comfort of Automated Phrases is local poet (and CP horoscopist) Jane Cassady's first book, comprising poems written in the last eight years. She explains it as a series of love letters to all types of things — from Zumba to Beyoncé — and a souvenir that “helps me keep my emotional bond to the people and places I’ve visited." She began writing poetry in 2000, when living among other creatives in Laguna Beach. “I felt like I’d finally found someplace I belonged,” she says; she counts the poets of that scene — people like Daniel McGinn and Rachel McKibbens — among her biggest influences.

The collection is playful and light, best suited for sunny days. Cassady's words of affection for Philadelphia, for example, impart a warm feeling of solidarity. If your bus came an hour late, though, it might not be the right time to give this a read.

The collection's release party is 6 p.m. on Sat., July 21 at Cake and the Beanstalk (1112 Locust St.); aspiring poets are invited to join her and read their own work.

(Jodi@citypaper.net) (@gij0de)

Posted by Jodi Bosin @ 10:20 AM Permalink | Post a comment

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Featuring everything from event roundups to concert reviews and sex talk, City Paper's Critical Mass is a space for off-the-wall coverage of Philly's A&E scene.

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