Do Not Be a Gentleman When You Say Goodnight by Mitch Sisskind (The Song Cave)
The writer and poet Mitch Sisskind is a mystery to me, and I’m not sure why I picked this book out on the publisher, The Song Cave’s website, but it called out to me, more likely because of the book cover off what reminds me of a Manhattan city view. But then again, how do I know it is even New York City? Mary Austin Speaker did the book design, and that itself, the design work, is seductive. With that entrance, I read Amy Gerstler’s introduction, which is another great sign that this will be a great read. Then there’s a Michael Silverblatt and Lydia Davis blurb, so already this is literature that reads to me to be fun and adventuresome. And then I read Sisskind’s stories and poems, and everything is correct; this is marvelous.
First of all, there are small presses out there that never disappoint or fail. At worse, one may like a title better than others, but none fall in quality and taste. And The Song Cave is a press with a strong sense of fascinating literature which goes back to history and the present. You will unlikely find a horrible recording by Motown during the 1960s. Therefore it is impossible even to find a whiff of something horrific in the catalog published by The Song Cave.
A collection of writings by Mitch Sisskind, Do Not Be a Gentleman When You Say Goodnight, has traces of the New York School of Poetry, and he fits in aesthetically with the talents of James Schuyler, Kenneth Koch (Sisskind’s teacher), and John Ashbery. His phrasing and style are humorous but playful, as are the short stories mini-plots, but with maximum results. I’m attracted to poetry that deals with the every day, but in an extraordinary manner. And that goes with his very short narratives—a wonderful recent find.
Hear the discussion between Michael Silverblatt and Mitch Sisskind on Bookworm: