Greg Wyss was an important voice in the small press scenr of the 1970's. Sit Down And Have A Beer Again is the definitivre collection of his work. This 3-part anthology includes the original 1977 chapbook Sit Down And Have A Beer, as well as the other poems and stories published in those small press magazines but never collected until now. The third chapter contains a small sample of his novel When Life Was Like A Cucumber published in 2019.
In"Sit down and have a beer again", Greg Wyss opens the door into his weird and wonderful mind where nothing is taboo. If you are looking for the naked truth about love, lust, religion and politics, this anthology is for you. Although penned in the 70's and reflective of its idiosyncrasies, these poems are timeless in their acccuracy and perceptions of human nature, delving deep into the psyche of the brash and the desperate.
Mirroring thoughts you will never vocalise and dreams you are too ashamed to utter - Poem to my first wife" being the perfect example - Wyss gets to the nitty-gritty of life in smart allegorical language and unfiltered observations, taking you from a wry smile to belly laugh as you move from one poem to the next, but with an overarching sense that in some way you have been taught a lesson. Nevertheless, Wyss does not deal in veiled metaphors, his writing is raw and visceral, tapping into life at its most authentic, cutting through the casual veneer of everyday living.
Touching on the ridiculousness of generational belief, Wyss cuts to the chase with his insightful scrutiny, exposing accepted notions of modern-day society as a thinly veiled mechanism to control and subdue the masses. His perceptive musings on relationships could be seen as pessimistic but somehow you find your self nodding along, knowing exactly where he is coming from.
Displaying an understanding of great verse, often the title of Wyss' prose belies the content right until the last stanza, where he neatly brings his musings to an intelligent conclusion as he leads his reader to their destination. This is not a book of neat and orderly poetry, rather the construction echoes the content, a messy but marvelous hotch-potch of acutely accurate reflections.
Powerful, poignant and a pleasure to read Sit Down and Have Beer Again is unreservedly recommended!
Sit Down and Have A Beer Again by Greg Wyss is an unfiltered publication of poems, short stories, narratives, and dream sequences portraying the life of individuals in the 1960s and 1970s. This collection is raw, realistic, and undoctored, showing life as it was through the eyes and emotions of the narrators for each piece. This anthology portrays the life and soul of creative America and the world through descriptions, honesty, and unabridged thoughts.
Broken up into three parts, this anthology contains the original works printed in various magazines and publications. Part 1 is reprinting the works published in Sit Down and Have A Beer from 1977. Parts 2 and 3 are works that Greg Wyss collected as a means of sharing life for what it was through the eyes of individuals who wrote each poem, story, dream, and narrative. Some are sad, while some are happy. Others shed light on vulnerability, mental illness, the journey to self-discovery, and struggles people battle. Many of the pieces were written to express creativity and inspire the nation's heart during the particular time frame in which they were orchestrated.
The works showcased in this anthology come from many small press magazines and publishers in the late 1960s and 1970s. This was a way for the average person to have an outlet to express themselves and have their voice heard. These years were a unique time in American history, and the poetry and writing presented to share with readers a snapshot of life in this era.
I found some of the poems depressing at times, and at other times they were eye-opening. This publication brings to light topics and situations that people during the era struggled with. I would recommend this book as a way of viewing life through the eyes of others and receiving some inspiration in the creative world of poetry. Due to the poetic nature and content, I found this read interesting. This anthology can be a great source of wisdom and encouragement for those in hardship. I believe this work has something for everyone because humanity's raw nature is at its heart.
Author and poet Greg Wyss has gathered a career's worth of musings, stories, and verse in his eclectic collection, Sit Down and Have A Beer Again.
Reminiscient of the pacing and subject matter of Charles Bukowski, at times, the poetry is gritty and raw, yet still polished. Reflecting on everything from laziness and responsibility to loyalty in relationships and the grind of work, these are everyman poems, shining an honest light on the exasperating business of being alive. "The Poem I Never Wrote" is a standout, capturing that unique tone of visceral human experience. Tired and begrudging as the tone can sometimes be, there are brilliant splahes of humor, grace, appreciation and even love within these pieces.
From a technical perspective, however, there are a number of grammatical errors, even in the titles of certain poems ("Pedestian" vs "Pedestrian"), which could easily be fixed. The enjambment choices in some poems are also questionable, resulting in some forced phrasing, and another edit could eliminate repetitive poems or reorder the collection to feel more diverse.
Those critiques aside, Wyss captures the attitude and ennui of an entire misled generation, offering a poignant portrait of the analog past before literary communities were overtaken by consumerism, resulting in a hard-edged, unapologetic, and reflective collection.
