Asthamtica, special edition

Jon Paul Fiorentino's, Asthmatica has got to be one of the funniest works of CanLit I've read recently along with David McGimpsey's, Certifiable. Both writers are predominantly poets but
they've been able to genre-cross into short fiction quite effortlessly.

Some of my favourites in Fiorentino's collection include "Sissy Fists" about the protagonist's afterschool fistfight with the son of a subpar Winnipeg Jets leftwinger, "Sarcasm Will Not Help Me Achieve My Goals", and "Electrolux" which is best described as a touching tale of boy meets vacuum cleaner. Trust me, after reading these you'll be rolling on the floor, clutching your sides hoping to God you don't pass out from laughing too hard.

After reading work by McGimpsey and Fiorentino, you can sense them channeling the spirit of American poet Frank O'Hara whose playful verse strived to squeeze the stuffiness out of poetry by regarding the craft as one of the many legitimate human amusements.

In "Personism: A Manifesto", O'Hara writes:

"Too many poets act like a middle-aged mother trying to get her kids to eat too much cooked meat, and potatoes with drippings (tears). I don't give a damn whether they eat or not. Forced feeding leads to excessive thinness (effete). Nobody should experience anything they don't need to, if they don't need poetry bully for them. I like the movies too."

Reading fiction and poetry shouldn't feel like you're getting your teeth pulled out - which seems to be the school of thought followed by the authors of Certifiable and Asthmatica. I tend to agree with them, I'd much rather have my funnybone tickled.