BLUE LIPSTICK

John Grandits. 2007. BLUE LIPSTICK. New York: Clarian Books. 0618851321

In the poetry collection, Blue Lipstick, by John Grandits, the author uses 33 concrete poems to journey through common and not so common day-to-day happenings of 15 year-old Jessie. This book is the follow-up to the much loved, Technically, It’s Not my Fault: Concrete Poems, giving big sister Jessie an opportunity to respond to many of Robert’s complaints about her and asserting a few of her own complaints.  The graphics and limited color scheme enhance the concrete poetry and reinforce many of Jessie’s key points.  The creative structure of the poem carries the reader through friends, brothers, cellos, volleyball, and English class among others. The poems give snap shots of the typical types of kids found in a high school and strives to shows us how different the speaker is from others…and how very alike. The writer crafts a collection of poetry that reflects the irony of the struggles of a teen as they strive for individuality and yet try very hard to belong.  The poetry conveys the often-erratic moods of teens and takes on this out-spoken character.

This book of poetry takes a humorous approach to many of the typical teen experiences with its own whimsical flair. The author uses rich language to enhance the imagery of the poetry. With such lines as “…she’s falling, like, a mile straight down, and Ms. Kaufman just happens to be standing there and –get this-catches her. “ The pieces are packed with voice and tone allowing the reader to get a feel for this teenager. The poems are relatable to the reader with such haikus as, “Girls’ Bathroom,” “Essence of Lunchroom,” and “School Bus Driver,” the reader is sure to fall in love with this quirky character.

 

“Bad Hair Day” reflects the emotions and turmoil experienced after a major hair mistake.  Like many other pieces, this poem does a nice job of integrating the surge of teen emotion with the comfort of a good friend or caring mother always there to help Jessie recover from one crisis or another.  The art is a symbolic reflection of the extremity of emotions and twist and turns of life.

This piece and many of the others in the book could be introduced by sharing stories of embarrassing teen/preteen experiences.  The universality of theme and the artistic flair to the novel with hook even the most reluctant readers into the piece.  A fun extension might be to write a haiku about a common occurrence or sight within their high school. Build these pieces into a “Totally Lame” English Assignment like the assignments Jessie creates in the book.  To elevate the complexity and challenge older students, create a concrete poem based on teen experiences and include common literary elements such as imagery, personification, alliteration, and assonance.