From the Belly

Poetry. Anthology. A fleet of 38 contemporary poets respond in poetry to the sections of Gertrude Stein's seminal work, Tender Buttons. In volume 2 of this anthology series, these authors tackle the poems in "Food," section 2 of Tender Buttons, each entering a dialogue with Stein through a poem of their own, and also leaving space for the reader to do the same. Says Deborah M. Mix, co-editor of Approaches to Teaching the Works of Gertrude Stein: "'Pace yourself. Brace yourself. Open your senses. Open your mind, ' editor Karren Alenier encourages readers in the introduction to this second volume of From the Belly, in which contemporary poets respond to Gertrude Stein's Tender Buttons, this time writing in dialogue with the 'Food' section of Stein's volume. We read Stein's words-perplexing, astonishing, infuriating-alongside the poets' responses-challenging, surprising, illuminating. These 38 contemporary writers offer us new ways to understand Stein's work, but Stein's work also offers us fresh ways to think about these new poems." Abdul Ali, author of Trouble Sleeping, adds, "Pull up a chair and loosen your belt for this feast of a poetry collection where a mix of seasoned contemporary poets stir Gertrude Stein's poems and pans of roast beef, chicken, and a motley of vegetables (tender, of course!). From the Belly takes its inspiration from seminal poet Gertrude Stein who turns our attention to language, surprising associations, food, and yes, biting commentary about all that makes us human."