Jeffrey McDaniel
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Jeffrey McDaniel (born 1967 in Philadelphia) is a slam poet who has performed in diverse locations such as Lollapalooza 1994, the National Poetry Slam, the Globe in Prague and the Moscow Writers Union.
His writing has been included in anthologies such as Ploughshares, The Best American Poetry 1994, and The New Young American Poets, and on the National Endowment for the Arts website.
He currently teaches creative writing at Sarah Lawrence College.
One of his best-known poems is "The Quiet World."
[edit] The Quiet World
In an effort to get people to look
into each other's eyes more,
and also to appease the mutes,
the government has decided
to allot each person exactly one hundred
and sixty-seven words, per day.
When the phone rings, I put it in to my ear
Without saying hello. In the restaurant
I point at chicken noodle soup.
I am adjusting well to the new way.
Late at night, I call my long distance lover,
proudly say I only used fifty-nine today.
I saved the rest for you.
When she doesn't respond,
I know she's used up all her words,
so I slowly whisper I love you
thirty-two and a third times.
After that, we just sit on the line
and listen to each other breathe.
[edit] Bibliography
- Alibi School. Manic D Press, 1995.
- The Forgiveness Parade. Manic D Press, 1998.
- The Splinter Factory. Manic D Press, 2002.
[edit] References
- Inclusions in Ploughshares
- Jeffrey McDaniel page at the National Endowment for the Arts
