Overview

A new collection of poetry from poet and writer Siegfried Mortkowitz. Mortkowitz lives in Prague with a very talkative orange tabby named Joe. He (Siegfried, not Joe) is the author of the chapbook Eating Brains and Other Poems, published by After Hours Press. His poems and autobiographical complaints have been published in Body, After Hours and The Prague Revue. He recently hosted a Substack blog called ""Offbeat"" featuring his poems and short stories.

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Reviews

Early Praise for A Matter of Life or Death ""Being human was much too hard,"" writes Siegfried Mortkowitz in his poem ""My Epitaph,"" ""Please let me come back/As a cat."" Reading this sad, funny, lustful, irony-filled, wonderful book of poems, one comes to fully understand this wish. But if, as Wallace Stevens said, sentimentality is ""failed feeling,"" there is nothing whatsoever ""failed"" about the feelings contained in these remarkably honest, and sometimes (but never without a certain gallows humor) heartbreaking, poems. Rather, the feelings they so artfully embody ring utterly true, because they are so filled with rage, tenderness, longing, lust, ambivalence, regret and, yes, wonder, that the authenticity of what they feel and express is utterly beyond doubt. It takes courage to write a book like this, and it takes a certain amount of toughness and openness - not to illusion, but to true feeling - to read it. But it is a journey well worth making."" - Michael Blumenthal, Former Director of the Harvard Creative Writing Program and author of CORRECTING THE WORLD: NEW & SELECTED POEMS, 1980-2024 and the novel WEINSTOCK AMONG THE DYING Early Praise for Dancing A Dizzy Holiness Stuart Dybek, writer of prose and poetry, MacArthur Fellow In Larry Janowski's new collection, Dancing A Dizzy Holiness, a poem titled ""Confessional Poem,"" opens: ""Ever wonder what it's like on the priest's side of the screen?"" The witty title and the intimate voice that will answer this question typifies the complex, compassionate, and accessible down to earth beauty of this book. Down to earth--a stand-in phrase for wise. Down to earth in a way that is critical for Janowski's credible reach toward the divine. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From the Introduction to the book written by Judith Valente, award-winning author, poet and Pulitzer Prize-nominated journalist.​ Much of contemporary poetry lurks within the shadow side of human nature, or somersaults in clever word play, or else aims to reveal as little as possible of the poet's meaning. But poems don't need to be ""fancy,"" as Mary Oliver famously said. Janowski's poems aren't fancy. Think of them as the kind of unpretentious work shirts you might see proud men wearing in Chicago's Southside Polish neighborhoods, places so familiar to Janowski. That doesn't mean these poems are facile. They each carry their own beauty. I finished this collection wanting for more. More time with this prophet of the quotidian. More time with the flawed and fascinating people who populate this collection. These are poems that will make you want to dance out of gratitude. That will fill your head with a dizzy holiness. And isn't that the best kind of holiness? --------------------------------------------------------------------- Fr. Jim Gannon ofm, Provincial Minister of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Province I was most fortunate to have attended a grade school, way back in the 1960's, when the arts were part of the curriculum. Friday afternoons were special! One Friday of each month was dedicated to art, and another Friday was dedicated to poetry. As a child, I did not fully appreciate the great gift of the arts. Now, as an older adult, I have come to value, even more, the gift of poetry. Poetry has helped me to understand the significance of speaking and writing. The study of poetry has also provided me with the insight to better understand people, as well as to better understand myself. Larry Janowski comes alive when he shares his poetry after years of deep, personal, hard reflections. I love the title of Larry's new book, Dancing A Dizzy Hioliness. Please allow yourself to become ""Dizzy"" from the wide spectrum of emotions: diminishment of physical life and religious life, coming up on the ""short end"" of life, parents and family life, a scarred church, a tall and loving God. Larry, you come alive in your poetry. Keep on making us ""Dizzy"" with life. May we always emerge ""dancing and holy.""

Early Praise for Dancing A Dizzy Holiness Stuart Dybek, writer of prose and poetry, MacArthur Fellow In Larry Janowski's new collection, Dancing A Dizzy Holiness, a poem titled ""Confessional Poem,"" opens: ""Ever wonder what it's like on the priest's side of the screen?"" The witty title and the intimate voice that will answer this question typifies the complex, compassionate, and accessible down to earth beauty of this book. Down to earth--a stand-in phrase for wise. Down to earth in a way that is critical for Janowski's credible reach toward the divine. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From the Introduction to the book written by Judith Valente, award-winning author, poet and Pulitzer Prize-nominated journalist.​ Much of contemporary poetry lurks within the shadow side of human nature, or somersaults in clever word play, or else aims to reveal as little as possible of the poet's meaning. But poems don't need to be ""fancy,"" as Mary Oliver famously said. Janowski's poems aren't fancy. Think of them as the kind of unpretentious work shirts you might see proud men wearing in Chicago's Southside Polish neighborhoods, places so familiar to Janowski. That doesn't mean these poems are facile. They each carry their own beauty. I finished this collection wanting for more. More time with this prophet of the quotidian. More time with the flawed and fascinating people who populate this collection. These are poems that will make you want to dance out of gratitude. That will fill your head with a dizzy holiness. And isn't that the best kind of holiness? --------------------------------------------------------------------- Fr. Jim Gannon ofm, Provincial Minister of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Province I was most fortunate to have attended a grade school, way back in the 1960's, when the arts were part of the curriculum. Friday afternoons were special! One Friday of each month was dedicated to art, and another Friday was dedicated to poetry. As a child, I did not fully appreciate the great gift of the arts. Now, as an older adult, I have come to value, even more, the gift of poetry. Poetry has helped me to understand the significance of speaking and writing. The study of poetry has also provided me with the insight to better understand people, as well as to better understand myself. Larry Janowski comes alive when he shares his poetry after years of deep, personal, hard reflections. I love the title of Larry's new book, Dancing A Dizzy Hioliness. Please allow yourself to become ""Dizzy"" from the wide spectrum of emotions: diminishment of physical life and religious life, coming up on the ""short end"" of life, parents and family life, a scarred church, a tall and loving God. Larry, you come alive in your poetry. Keep on making us ""Dizzy"" with life. May we always emerge ""dancing and holy.""

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