The State That Springfield Is In

Inspired by America's most prominent hallmark of modern pop culture, The Simpsons, poet Tom C. Hunley shares his narratives––autobiographical or allegorical––by channeling the eccentric personas of residents in the animated sitcom's town, Springfield, and trusting their voices to speak on his behalf, resulting in true poetic entertainment. As author Denise Du Vernay states in the collection's introduction, "Tom's interaction with The Simpsons doesn't follow sitcom or even cartoon rules. He doesn't have to. Tom follows a mysterious set of rules, completely unknown to those of us without a poet's sensibilities." That is the sentiment that defines Hunley as an artist. He is a poet who has a firm grip on poetic formalism (the "rules"), but, as is the case with any true artist––perhaps a guitarist for the sake of a metaphoric example––Hunley knows when it's time to part from his Eddie Van Halen trickery in exchange for what resonates with those who are unfamiliar with the "rules," "theories, and "doctrines" of art: gritty power chords strummed in the manners of Kurt Cobain or Johnny Ramone. 

While capable of boggling a reader's mind with poetics only a limited audience bothers to appreciate these days, Hunley has taken to The Simpsons in order to depart the shoebox diorama boundaries most readers and writers of verse wallow in, and instead reach out to those of us who want to feel aroused by humor and drama rather than feel disoriented by, for example, accounts of lucid dreaming juxtaposed with archaic Polish folklore found in the nationalistic opera of Stanislaw Moniuszko. In short, Hunley wants poetry back on the map as an element of pop culture rather than vaulted property of academia and patrons of Sotheby's auction house. The State That Springfield Is In may very well be the poetry collection to materialize his bold objective. 

"In The State That Springfield Is In, Tom C. Hunley undertakes the quixotic task of engaging with pop culture juggernaut The Simpsons like a true devotee of the show. The results are not only playful and fun, but also deeply autobiographical, with deftly focused attention to formal diversity and voice. Best. Book of Simpsons poetry. Ever." - Jason Bredle, author of Carnival "Armed with the wondrous ability to turn a phrase, to use words musically and economically, he takes us deeper into the minds of these cherished characters. Tom's poems take us to dark places, places the show itself rarely (or never) chooses to go, yet they are places that make sense for the characters and fans to inhabit. Just as the show capitalizes on its genre as a means to satirize as it sees fit, Tom uses the voices of these characters to perform some of the same tasks as the show: to push buttons, to startle, to incite laughter and thought." - from the introduction by Denise Du Vernay, co-author, The Simpsons in the Classroom: Embiggening the Learning Experience with the Wisdom of Springfield "Tom Hunley's clever take on America's quintessential animated sitcom reveals the secret heart of Springfield. He takes each character and takes them for a poetic spin that reveals Hunley's wit and charm." - Jeannine Hall Gailey, author of Becoming the Villainess