Stages
By Noel Sloboda

Reviewed by Stephanie L. Smith

sunnyoutside press, 2010
ISBN 978-1934513217
Pamphlet, 20 pp., $12.00

Fashioned with the quintessential characteristics of antiquated literature, and seemingly both rare and valuable, Stages, by Noel Sloboda excited me as my hands glossed over the beautifully textured, fibrous, paper cover. Having known in advance that performances of Shakespeare’s plays were the foundation for Sloboda’s ten poems, I opened the hand-bound, intricately stamped cover with anticipation.

Sloboda references at least seven of Shakespeare’s plays and a few other mythological characters, all of which are recognized easily enough, though it is not with the same ease that one recognizes Sloboda’s meaning. The poems within Stages seem to tell the stories of 21 st century actors discovering Shakespeare’s relevancy in their own lives. Unfortunately, Sloboda’s unique subject and circumstances did not lead to an insightful poetic treasure. His poetry seems to lack a “User’s Guide,” an accompanying journal of the daily drama behind stage—something to give the reader a clue as to how and why Sloboda was making the references and connections he does. A few of the poems are straightforward and comprehensible, such as “Play of the Past” and “Poor Player,” but I’m obligated to point out that even these poems (consistent with the other eight), lack colorful language, are deficient in unique and fresh imagery, and present a meter severely lacking in the harmonization of rhythm and sound. Sloboda’s words scrape along the ground like a wrench being drug across a gravel driveway, chinking and grinding in my ears. But sound is only one of the five senses, and it has been thoroughly examined here, so let us move on to sight.

It is true, appearances aren’t everything, but they certainly are something. In Sloboda’s case, the appearance of his words on the page is disastrous. I found myself tripping over poorly placed line-breaks, re-reading stanzas to connect thoughts, and ultimately feeling as though every couple of words I was rolling over a speed bump that jostled any coherent thought in my mind. So far, that is zero for two in the five-senses test, but considering that we have smell, taste, and touch left, Stages may not be too bad after all. I mentioned the luxuriously textured cover before, and will again affirm that my fingers were indeed pleased. That’s one for three! As for smell, who can argue with the scent of a new book? It’s brilliantly cross-cultural. That’s two out of four! As for taste, well, who didn’t try eating paper as a kid? It may not be your first choice now, but at some point it was probably less disagreeable to you than broccoli. So, edible and kid-friendly! That is definitely worth a third point, leaving Stages with a slightly-better-than-mediocre, three-out-of-five-star rating!

Visit sunnyoutside press on the web at http://www.sunnyoutside.com/

Stephanie L. Smith is a graduate of the University of South Florida and holds her Bachelor of Arts Degree in English Literature. Stephanie has taught elementary math and highschool English this past year, and plans to continue teaching this coming fall. For fun, Stephanie enjoys cooking, writing poetry, crossword puzzles, games, and spending time with her husband.

© 2010 prickofthespindle.com