From the Stacks: April 14, 2006

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One needn't be Jewish, or a student, to appreciate New Voices, a Jewish student magazine out of New York. Though it tackles big issues, it does so in an offbeat manner that provides refreshing perspectives on topics otherwise considered understood. The March/April issue reviews a book titled Hitler and the Power of Aesthetics. As a way into the piece -- subtitled 'Why does good art happen to bad people?' -- the reviewer recounts his 'experiment' standing on a street corner, asking Jews their opinions on a painting he later explains was done by Hitler. 'They praised the sunniness of the piece, the happy mood, and the 'pretty colors.' I then showed them the byline: Adolf Hitler. Dispositions changed from pleasure to shock, horror, and embarrassment.' -- Nick Rose

The Poetry Project Newsletter is one of the many aspects of The Poetry Project. Based in New York City and founded in 1966, the organization is constantly holding readings and other events aimed at providing a space where poets and writers can commingle. The list of poets who have passed through its doors reads as a who's who of the literary world. The Newsletter itself provides much the same service, keeping readers up to date with what's going on in poetry circles around the nation while highlighting literary happenings in NYC proper. The April/May issue eulogizes Barbara Guest, a New York poet and critic who recently died. The piece concludes: 'The gracious and persevering maker has left us, but what she made will challenge and enlarge our world for a long time to come.' -- Nick Rose

One book couldn't possibly cover all of the roadside attractions in the Midwest, but Eric Dregni's Midwest Marvels comes pretty close. The book begins with Albert the Bull in Audubon, Iowa, a 30-foot-high 'monument to the beef industry' that claims to be the world's largest anatomically correct bull. Joining Albert are the world's largest six-pack, Earl Bunyan (the lesser known brother of lumberjack Paul Bunyan), and Minnesota's Spam Museum. Questions like 'Where the Hell is Wall Drug?' will be answered with the meticulously researched histories of these shrines of kitsch. The book is perfect for adventurous road-trippers or Americana devotees. Due out from the University of Minnesota Press next month. -- Bennett Gordon

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