Hysteria: A Collection of Madness by Stephanie M. Wytovich
Wow, I’d love to have a serious conversation with poet Stephanie M. Wytovich about, say, the horror of Shirley Jackson or disfigurement in the stories of Flannery O’Connor while we sip burgundy from huge gold goblets as a candelabra supplies superficial light and shadow. I think this is one poet that finds joy in all things gothic. Wytovich’s first collection of poetry is very aptly titled Hysteria: A Collection of Madness.
Madness indeed. This woman has cornered the market on poetry that rips through the readers psyche like a straight razor slitting flesh. It’s that sharp, that gory and that visceral. Based upon sketches of patients in an insane asylum, each of these poems celebrates insanity in a very sane way: they exist. Poems like Burnt Hair, Choke Me and Glutton are greasy, like they could leave spots on the pages from where the reader has touched the paper. Is that sweat, fear or lard sticking to the paper? A tear drop? Spittle from your gasping lips?
Hysteria is the poetry equivalent of a good Italian giallo gore flick from the 70’s. Lots of style and class surrounded by buckets of bright crimson blood and avant- garde points of view that chill, frighten and fascinate all at once. I loved this collection of poetry and look forward to more from Stephanie M. Wytovich.
Dan @ Central