Thursday, February 26, 2015

Montgomery College Students Review the Work of Tunisian Poet Ali Znaidi








Let's start with Bethany Causey's review of Taste of the Edge:

Ah, A Taste of the Edge, how we all aspire to have that little spark of life ignited in us. Ali Znaidi does an exceptional job of igniting that little spark, “a taste of the edge stays w/ you forever.” Reading his poetry is like caramelized sugar on top of your crème brulee. It’s sweet and glazed on top with much more thickness once you dig in. He has a way of opening up your mind to thinking new things and seeing the world in a different perspective, for example he writes “I took some drops of bleach & rinsed my T.V. screen, trying to erase all of the mass communication theories of politics, & the double-standard.” Now, when I watch the news I have this image forever stuck in my head.  I highly suggest reading this with an open mind and little to no distractions around you. His word choice is superb, but not easy to understand if you have a million other things going on around you. I can promise you that you will not find yourself bored reading Ali Znaidi’s Taste of the Edge. He has a way of creating similes that you never would have thought of such as “she also keeps reminding me that crying erupted like lava flows as the needle.” His poetry makes you want to curl up with a blanket, candle, and cup of tea while you read.


“Ali Znaidi, Taste of the Edge. Kind of a Hurricane Press, 2014. Pp.22. Free PDF. (Tags: Poetry chapbook collection, experimental voice)”.
This is the link where you can download the chapbook for free:



Lauren D'Aria reviews 'Bye Donna Summer, Ali's collection of haiku:


 Review of Ali Znaidi's Haiku "Bye, Donna Summer!"
By Lauren D'Aria
In Znaidi's haiku, "Bye, Donna Summer!", he gives a beautifully detailed description through the Tunisian summer and the transition into fall and winter. With the rain, wind, roses, fruits, lillies, sunlight, and heat of summer, to autumn scents, dark wintery nights, glacial frosty winds, and cruel coldness, Znaidi allows you to walk right into the beauty of the seasons. Stating "pebbles in the pond/ scarring the face of water/ a broken mirror" gives a playful hint, and "black clouds whimpering/ foul smell of pigs in the mud/ tear gas in the eyes" offers a blunt reality of the seasons.  While describing the transition from summer to winter, he references a few of Donna Summer's hit songs, such as mentioning the "'Last Dance' of spring rain", and "On a spring morning/ Dim the lights, 'Dim all The Lights'/ I’ll miss you Summer" .  This haiku creates a great story, taking you through the motions of the Tunisian seasons.
“Ali Znaidi, Bye, Donna Summer!. Fowlpox Press, 2014. Pp.50. ISBN978-1-927593-31-8. Free PDF. (Tags: Poetry chapbook collection, traditional haiku)”.
This is the link where you can download the chapbook for free:

I am hoping that we will have a review of Ali's Experimental Ruminations soon, too.


“Ali Znaidi, Experimental Ruminations. Fowlpox Press, 2012. Pp.23. ISBN 978-1-927593-00-4. Free PDF. (Tags: Poetry chapbook collection, experimental voice)”.
This is the link where you can download the chapbook for free:


In the meantime, here is Night in Tunisia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQYXn1DP38s

This version is Dizzy Gillespie's.  There are many others, but I will stop here.

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