What do you think?
Rate this book
New Directions Poetry Pamphlet #3
The Helens of Troy, New York
Part of our revived "Poetry Pamphlet Series", All the Helens of Troy is Bernadette Mayers's profile of all of the Helens living in Troy, New York, done with poems and images. Part of our revived "Poetry Pamphlet Series", All the Helens of Troy is Bernadette Mayers's profile of all of the Helens living in Troy, New York, done with poems and images, mixing the classical with the ordinary and delightful intelligence with irreverence. An everybody died there’s nothing more to say
my hair’s braided like a family
i took off, it was fun, i loved it if you did something wrong, they punished you
one helen is enough, trust me
my hair’s braided like a family
i took off, it was fun, i loved it if you did something wrong, they punished you
one helen is enough, trust me
55 pages, Paperback
First published January 17, 2013
About the author
Bernadette Mayer
65 books98 followersBernadette Mayer (born May 12, 1945) is an American poet, writer, and visual artist associated with both the Language poets and the New York School. Mayer's record-keeping and use of stream-of-consciousness narrative are two trademarks of her writing, though she is also known for her work with form and mythology. In addition to the influence of her textual-visual art and journal-keeping, Mayer's poetry is widely acknowledged as some of the first to speak accurately and honestly about the experience of motherhood. Mayer edited the journal 0 TO 9 with Vito Acconci, and, until 1983, United Artists books and magazines with Lewis Warsh. Mayer taught at the New School for Social Research, where she earned her degree in 1967, and, during the 1970s, she led a number of workshops at the Poetry Project at St. Mark's Church in New York. From 1980 to 1984, Mayer served as director of the Poetry Project, and her influence in the contemporary avant-garde is felt widely, with writers like Kathy Acker, Charles Bernstein, John Giorno, and Anne Waldman having sat in on her workshops.
(from Wikipedia)
(from Wikipedia)
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
June 26, 2013
A charming chapbook and a charming concept. Bernadette Mayer writes a poem for each one of the Helens who live in the town of Troy, NY. The poems range from formal whimsy to experimental. Each poem is accompanied by a photo of said Helen in her natural environment. This book made me smile. I loved the poems where she uses the voice of the Helen she is portraying, you really get a sense of these women and the little town they live in. Playfulness abounds.
December 16, 2017
An interesting concept, though I would have liked some more context / more interweaving of the poems. That said, after a few poems you start seeing how the Helens are all connected in some way (other than just their first names). Read as a set, these poems gradually construct the shared community and infrastructure in which the Helens live.
March 20, 2016
Some of these weren't that great, but the sestinas worked really well and by the end I was swayed to give four stars. It's short and worth a read for a taste of Mayer.
Read
April 16, 2023uma helena se parecia tanto com seus antepassados
que foi confundida com um fantasma quando tocou a campainha
que foi confundida com um fantasma quando tocou a campainha
Read
November 23, 2020Today Ed Sanders's "investigative poetry" is not only necessarily The Age of Surveillance Capitalism and Against Conceptual Poetry (poetry book by Ron Silliman), but it also leaves a 70s muckraking flare burning (and mixing with the ash of Williams's "local") in this wonderfully understated flat-ironic presentation of the women named Helen who live in Troy, New York.
June 15, 2022
conceitualmente é interessante mas não me cativou
January 3, 2017
Bernadettee Mayer explores conteporary Helens through new sexuality, insecurities, roads, etc, without ignoring the tradition.
February 7, 2018
Amazing book, combines whimsy (what if I talked to women named Helen of Troy, NY) with affecting and poignant finds. Bernadette Mayer now has my heart forever, and this is the seal on it.
April 13, 2020
feliz de ter conhecido Bernadette Mayer. li durante a pandemia, nos intervalos de pegar sol na janela.
October 2, 2023
Bless all the wonderful women named Helen in Troy, New York. Some great photos in here too.
August 25, 2016
as a helen myself i was naturally drawn to the title, and found it to be was an enjoyable read. the short poetic snapshots of women called helen living in troy, NYC give a brief insight into not only that woman's life, but the town as well, and sometimes the interconnections between the families of the town, evoking a strong sense of the locale (a bit "under milkwood" perhaps). each poem is accompanied by a black & white photos of the subject and some of these are quite beautiful portraits as well. i would have appreciated a bit more context - who took the photos, for example. however we don't need to know everything and overall it's a lovely collection.
June 7, 2014
Whimsical, and obviously great fun for Mayer herself, but not much here for me, I'm afraid. No doubt the Helens of Troy, NY are all very nice, but either not much has happened to them or Mayer doesn't manage to explain what's happened to them. At the same time, you do get a good picture of the town itself, which at least hints at the general condition of post-industrial American life outside major urban centers, as well as a bit of a feeling for how we got here.
In short, ideal chapbook material.
In short, ideal chapbook material.
July 23, 2016
socialism's ok for americans sometimes, e.g. the library
the post office, the schools where people
can learn about ancient troy or all the troys
even the ones without any markets
by the names of price chopper or hannaford, names
that might appear in our dreams where a different
landscape, or map as it were, leads to a different
way of perceiving like books in a library
which can lead you on a quest, already inherent in your name
to find the place where people, all people
freely & unworriedly go to a crowded market
whether it's in syracuse, utica, rome, or troy
the post office, the schools where people
can learn about ancient troy or all the troys
even the ones without any markets
by the names of price chopper or hannaford, names
that might appear in our dreams where a different
landscape, or map as it were, leads to a different
way of perceiving like books in a library
which can lead you on a quest, already inherent in your name
to find the place where people, all people
freely & unworriedly go to a crowded market
whether it's in syracuse, utica, rome, or troy
March 19, 2021
If you haven’t read Mayer before, don’t start here. But if you’ve already read her, this book is definitely worth your time. There’s a lot to take away from this book in terms ideas to write from and also, the loveliness of meeting all of these beautiful women.
May 24, 2016
3 1/2 stars
October 7, 2017
Touching and down to earth.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews