The BODY BANQUET: poems - Softcover

The Body Banquet unhinges the gates to dreamscapes where obsessions with food, body and place reign in ordered chaos. Carla Jetko uses modern incantations and seductive rhythms to lure us into the lush sanctuaries of her mind. Her intelligent and subtle use of humour, coupled with unusual imagery constantly surprises, in a realm where ordinary events metamorphose into the extraordinary. Like a box of gourmet chocolates, these poems include a rich selection of tastes and adventures that are good enough to tempt skeptics and poetry lovers alike. This book entices, loosens inhibitions, and invites interaction with entities from myth and legend. Dine with Robigus the God of Mildew, experience the bitter rites of gold and chocolate in the Olmec Basin, cruise the aisles of a surreal supermarket, and immerse yourself in toast envy. This, her first full length poetry collection, is a delicious offering where boundaries fade and body becomes banquet, banquet becomes body. "Carla Jetko's mouthwatering poetry is presented with confidence and flair, its courses served in delectable parcels of prose poems with lashings of free verse. Poetry to be enjoyed by the keen epicure and savoured for its sensuous sharpness, imaginative honesty and unnerving directness. It is to be taken seriously. Poetry for poetry foodies." Sally Evans - Editor of Poetry Scotland

Carla Jetko is a Canadian poet living on the wild moors of the Isle of Mull, Hebrides. Her love of good food and her career as a chef are evident in her sensual and vivid poetry. Carla has been invited to perform her poetry in places as diverse as the aisles of a Birmingham Tesco's, a jazz club, an 11th century abbey, poetry slams,The Highland Arts Festival, and The Portobello Festival, London. She has received commissions for her work by programs sponsored by The Scottish Arts Council, taught creative writing workshops, and participated in The Strata Poems Project in conjunction with Kilmartin House Museum, Argyll. Her poetry was accepted for inclusion in the noteworthy Poems in the Waiting Room pamphlets published by The Poetry Society. Publishing credits include Orbis Quarterly Literary Journal, The Edinburgh Review, Poetry Scotland, Eclipse, Poetry Life, Northwords, Writer's Muse, and New Writing Scotland 21 by the Association for Scottish Literary Studies. Carla Jetko was chosen as "Poet of the Year 2001" by The New Writer magazine.