Concrete poems use the shape of the words and lines to convey meaning. In Blue Lipstick, John Grandits revisits the characters from his earlier book Technically It's Not My Fault as well as the concrete poetry style to tell the story of fifteen-year-old Jessie. The title poem on the book's cover introduces us to the cast of characters: Jessie, her parents, her little brother Robert, and best friend Lisa. We also get a glimpse into Jessie's personality as a girl who likes to be different and take risks. These relationships and traits are further explored in the rest of the poems in the volume.
Many of the meanings or themes are enhanced by the forms of the poems themselves, and the visual impact of the poems are as striking as the honest portrayal of teenage life. Jessie, as the speaker of all the poems, is articulate and creative using figurative language and strong images to convey a wide range of emotions.
The wide range of topics with varying levels of seriousness and angst depict a realistic and relatable portrait of a teenage girl who is by turns angst-ridden, insecure, and insightful. In her quest to be an individual, Jessie reveals that she is just like everyone else. Teen readers, especially girls, will relate to the emotions and situations in the poems, and adult readers will also find themselves drawn to the collection.
The poems can mostly stand alone but are enhanced by the unified collection which is arranged in a rough chronology with some poems making references back to previous ones. The relationships between Jessie and her parents and brother can especially be seen to develop across several poems. The volume is book-ended by two versions of a poem called "The Wall" that describes the people who are on Jessie's side versus those who are on the opposing side of the wall. The second version of this poem acknowledges that some people, once considered enemies, have come to Jessie's side of the wall.
In this collection, Grandits uses his design background to give the poems shape and additional meaning. The book received a starred review from School Library Journal as well a appearing on SLJ's Best Books of the Year list. It is an ALA Notable Book and an ALA Quick Pick for Young Adults. It won a Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Honor Award.
Featured poem:
(The poem is written on black lines surrounding blocks of color in the manner of the art described in the painting. There are no line breaks in the poem because of its design.)
Mondrian
Dad and I went to the Art Institute.
There was a show of work by Mondrian, and the guy totally rocks!
He did these paintings with just boxes and lines,
and he only used black and yellow and blue and red.
I mean, he didn't mix his colors at all.
It was so simple and so elegant.
I said, "I wish I could do that when I grow up--
make ultra-cool radical art."
Dad said, "It's not easy
to be creative."
And I thought to myself, "You wouldn't believe how creative
I have to be just to get through the day."
He said, "It's tough being an artist.
You've got to struggle for years.
People often misunderstand your work.
You've got to be thick-skinned because critics can be cruel.
You don't have any money. And in many ways,
you're really alone."
And I said,
"It sounds like high school."
This poem would be a fun introduction into the art of Piet Mondrian. After sharing the poem, students could explore his work through the Museum of Modern Art website (http://www.moma.org/collection/artist.php?artist_id=4057). In an art class, students could also be encouraged to create their own paintings or art pieces showing the influence of Cubism.
Aside from the art connection, the comparison of an artist's life to that of a high school student could lead to a discussion of other occupations or life situations that might also correlate to aspects of teenage life.
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