In this Book
- The Business
- Book
- 2015
- Published by: University Press of Colorado
- Series: Con[text]ual
summary
Published by the Center for Literary Publishing at Colorado State University
Winner of the 2015 Colorado Prize for Poetry
What does it mean to work in the age of the cubicle? The Business takes on the modern workplace with sharp-witted poems that sting like a paper cut. A former secretary, Stephanie Lenox positions herself as a poetic note-taker of the mundane. Organized by the classical components of Greek tragedy, these poems enact the relationships, heartbreaks, and small heroic efforts that make up our working lives. Think there's nothing poetic about annoying coworkers, endless meetings, and stained coffee mugs? Think again. While tragedy provides the organizational structure for this collection, humor plays a central role. This collection transforms office politics and paper clips into a funny and critical examination of the mortal rat race. If you've ever been fired, let go, unemployed, underemployed, or overlooked, these poems are for you. Begun on stolen reams of printer paper, this book reclaims the hours of our lives we give, out of necessity, to others in order to survive.
Winner of the 2015 Colorado Prize for Poetry
What does it mean to work in the age of the cubicle? The Business takes on the modern workplace with sharp-witted poems that sting like a paper cut. A former secretary, Stephanie Lenox positions herself as a poetic note-taker of the mundane. Organized by the classical components of Greek tragedy, these poems enact the relationships, heartbreaks, and small heroic efforts that make up our working lives. Think there's nothing poetic about annoying coworkers, endless meetings, and stained coffee mugs? Think again. While tragedy provides the organizational structure for this collection, humor plays a central role. This collection transforms office politics and paper clips into a funny and critical examination of the mortal rat race. If you've ever been fired, let go, unemployed, underemployed, or overlooked, these poems are for you. Begun on stolen reams of printer paper, this book reclaims the hours of our lives we give, out of necessity, to others in order to survive.
Table of Contents
Download Full Book
- Prologue
- Aubade for the First Week
- pp. 12-13
- The Business
- pp. 14-15
- On Mythology
- p. 16
- Secretaries in Heaven
- pp. 22-23
- On Metaphor
- p. 29
- Employee Manual for Mortals
- pp. 30-31
- Parode
- Episodes
- Small Talk
- p. 44
- The Pencil
- p. 47
- Old Bosses in Heaven
- pp. 58-59
- Stasimon
- Employees Must Wash Hands
- pp. 62-67
- Exode
- On Tragedy
- p. 71
- On Being Let Go
- p. 76
- To Serve Is the Highest Form of Love
- pp. 77-78
- The Babies Are Coming
- pp. 79-80
- The Take-This-Job-and-Shove-It Ode
- pp. 82-83
- Last Prayer
- p. 84
- Acknowledgments
- pp. 86-89
Additional Information
ISBN
9781885635488
Related ISBN(s)
9781885635471
MARC Record
OCLC
921310901
Pages
88
Launched on MUSE
2015-09-19
Language
English
Open Access
No