Somewhat Absurd, Somehow Existential

Through these far-reaching and searching poems, J. J. Steinfeld’s work continues to not only orbit a multitude of realities and multifaceted worlds, but to interrogate various aspects of being, whether they appear as the worldly or the otherworldly, the ordinary or the extraordinary, the physical or the spiritual. As Steinfeld concludes in his poem “The End of the World,” somewhat confronting the absurd and somehow embracing the existential: “I want a poem with a good ending / all the thoughts and uncertainties / and missed opportunities / tied together with metaphoric hope / even if that poem is about the end of the world / preposterous and ludicrous / as it might be.”

Fiction writer, poet, and playwright J. J. Steinfeld lives on Prince Edward Island, where he is patiently waiting for Godot’s arrival and a phone call from Kafka. While waiting, he has published twenty-two books: two novels, thirteen short story collections, and seven poetry collections, most recently, Somewhat Absurd, Somehow Existential (2021).