Everything is Everything

In her fifth collection of poetry, Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz polishes her obsessions until they gleam.Whether she is exhuming the bizarre ("Cryptozoology" and "A Short History of Unusual Fish"), exorcising her demons ("Hog Butcher of Workshop Table" and "On Why I Shouldn't Read Books"), or celebrating the uncelebrated oddballs of the world ("Little Heard True Stories of Benjamin Franklin" and "Crack Squirrels"), Aptowicz's poetry sings and singes. Everything is Everything illuminates the dark corners of the curiosity cabinet, shining the light on everything that is utterly strange, wonderfully absurd and 100% true.Praise"hilariously spunky... no-nonsense poetry."-Jennifer Dunning, The New York Times"Sometimes you plod through the day, bumping into people, tripping over your own feet. But then there are those remarkable days when you move through the world as stealthly as ninja. The latter is how the poems move in this book. Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz spits in her hands, grabs the sledgehammer, swings it hard, and rings that bell in poem after poem after poem. Everything is Everything is a winning collection chock full of swift, honest, smart, funny, and even tender poems that go up to 11."-Jennifer Knox, author of Drunk by Noon"Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz admits it herself-she's "a fool for the poetry." And I take her at her word. In the Tarot, the fool is wise and exuberant, mystical, clever, tuned into the world. In Everything is Everything, Aptowicz is indeed the divine fool, traveling her United States of Poetry and beyond. She is a poet of Americana-dead presidents (both the leaders and the money), ambitions big and small, ancient history trivia and pop culture, animals, children, impersonators and authenticity. Aptowicz's poems are animated, brimming with celebration. Everything is Everything is a stunning and dazzling book."-Denise Duhamel, author of Ka-Ching!