<DIV><p>"Their verse . . . is strikingly different. Michael's poems are interior, fragmentary, and austere, often stripped down to single-word lines; they seethe with incipient violence. Matthew's are effusive, ecstatic, and all-embracing, spilling over with pop-cultural references and exuberant carnality." ?<I>The New Yorker</I></p><p>Identical twins Michael and Matthew Dickman once invented their own language. Now they have invented an exhilarating book of poem-plays about the fifty states. Pointed, comic, and surreal, these one-page vignettes feature unusual staging and an eclectic cast of characters?landforms, lobsters, and historical figures including Duke Ellington, Sacajawea, Judy Garland, and Kenneth Koch, the avant-garde spirit informing this book introduced by playwright John Guare.</p><p><B>"Lucky in Kansas"</B></p><p><I>Judy Garland: This is always the worst part<BR>Tin Man: The coming back<BR>Judy Garland: Yes, it fucking sucks, it's depressing as shit<BR>The Lion: Well, we're lucky to still be employed at this farm<BR>Straw Man: I wouldn't call it lucky<BR>The Lion: We were lucky to get back<BR>Straw Man: That's not really lucky either I don't think you know what lucky means<BR>Judy Garland: It's funny what you miss<BR>Tin Man: The running<BR>Judy Garland: The flying<BR>Tin Man: The flying monkeys<BR>Judy Garland: The beautiful flying monkeys above the endless emeralds the unbelievably green world</I></p><p><B>Michael Dickman</B> and <B>Matthew Dickman</B> are identical twins who were born and raised in Portland, Oregon. Michael received the 2010 James Laughlin Award for his second collection <I>Flies</I> (Copper Canyon Press, 2011). Matthew won the prestigious APR/Honickman Award for his debut volume, <I>All-American Poem</I>.</p></DIV>