Bukowski In A Sundress: Confessions from a Writing Life

(Paperback)

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Through a collection of personal essays, poet provocateur Kim Addonizio chronicles the joys and indignities in the life of a writer coasting through middle age. She vividly captures moments of inspiration at the writing desk (or bed) and adventures on the road - from sparsely attended readings at small Midwestern colleges to wine-fuelled one-night stands at publishing conferences. Addonizio's crackling wit and colorful prose bring unforgettable life to her words, producing is a memoir that radiates all the wit, heartbreak and sexy grittiness her fans love.

Reviews

In poet Kim Addonizios unflinching, often hilarious confessions, the excesses and debauchery are not prelude but process, not a state from which to be saved but a series of experiences and memories to save, and savor. In this memoir-in-essays, Addonizio wields a sharp eye and a sharper pen. . . . Much as it revels in the poets life as a fun-loving bad girl, this stunning book is at its most gorgeous when it reveals its authors great big heart.
The Boston Globe

Addictively compelling . . . One expects a lot from a memoirist whose remarkable life is her art and whose remarkable art is her life, and Bukowski in a Sundress does not disappoint. Addonizios acerbic commentary on the business of writing is equally poignant and hilarious. . . . If there is any justice at all in the literary world (a premise Addonizio might dispute), Bukowski in a Sundresswill reach the wide-ranging audience its brave, brilliant author deserves.
Chicago Tribune

A poet and writer with decades of accolades, Addonizio . . . comes across as the outsider-insider, wine-swilling but clear-eyed. . . . Accessible and unpretentious, sexy and funny, boastful and vulnerable, shes the girlfriend whos willing to dish, whether about How to Try to Stop Drinking So Much or How to Succeed in Po Biz, which ends, beautifully, with the command: Dont be such a goddamned little baby. This is a woman who, no matter the costume, you want to hear.
The Village Voice

Whether shes sharing deep family secrets, divulging poetry advice to scared undergraduates, or kissing and telling after a boozy one-night stand at a writers conference, Addonizios newest venture gifts us with laughter as well as heartache, sometimeslike lifeall at the same time. . . . Her voice is fearless, honest, and cannot be mistaken for anyone elses. This memoir is a must-read.
Arizona Daily Sun

Addonizios essays provide an honest depiction of one womans struggle against the banalities, degradations, and disappointments of everyday life while attempting to make art, offering implicit guidance for readers embarking on their own creative pursuits and a voyeuristic opportunity for those curious about what the writing life might entail. . . . They chip away at the mysteries and assumed glamour of artistic production, generously providing insight into the experiences that both fuel and inhibit creation.
Interview

Bukowski in a Sundress tracks the peripatetic life of an American literary writer in the early 00s. . . . Addonizio, who writes free verse in poetry and something rather close to that in prose, has long been praised for the precision of her language. She has an ear for crisp, unforgettable phrases.
The Guardian

Somewhere between Jo Ann BeardsThe Boys of My Youthand Amy Schumers stand-up exists Kim Addonizios style of storytelling: In her prose as in her poetry, she is at once biting and vulnerable, nostalgic without ever veering off into sentimentality, and delightfully contradictory in every way . . .creating a nuanced collage of what it means to be a female writer in the 20th century and beyond.
Refinery29

An emotional ride, full of honesty and humor.
Bustle

If a Venn diagram of Nora Ephrons nonfiction fans and Amy Schumers fans was created I think the overlapping fans would appreciate Kim Addonizios humor, wit, snark, and frankness. Nothing seems off the table as Addonizio discusses sex, relationships (familial and romantic), her mothers illness, writing, and the story behind the title.
Book Riot

Kim Addonizios work has been consistently funny, formally inventive, sexually positive, philosophically complex, and lyrically tight despite its chatty surface. . . . Her new memoir is about drankin, druggin, fuckin, writin, and her relationships with her parents. What else is there
The Stranger

Here is a book to judge by its cover. Feel a shiver of happy anticipation, followed by relief: Bukowski in a Sundressisnt a shimmery summer beach read. This memoir-in-essays is an unflinching look at middle age, men, ailing parents, alcohol, and the enduring commitment to serious writing. . . . Books likethiscan save us. Even if you dont need saving,Bukowski In a Sundresswill make life look a whole lot better.
PopMatters

In a world of air-brushed gurus peddlingdesire mapsandbetter living through conscious capitalism, Kim Addonizios distinct blend of frank personal reckoning and hard-won insight is refreshing. In short, Addonizio is my kind of flawed, imperfect creative teacher. . . . At moments, shes a saint. At others, shes a mess. But through it all, shes paying attention, keeping a sense of humor, and writing it all down.
KQED Arts

It takes bravery to be as honest, and as tart, as Addonizio is, even in the face of the reproach that comes when you tell the whole truth instead of pretending. This kind of writing flies in the face of our societal preference for curated Instagram feeds and selective Facebook posts. . . . She sheds elegant light on her encounters with language, the meaning of poetry, and what it really means to be a writer. Shes privileged to be able to lead a creative existence, yes. But dont say she hasnt paid the price. Were just as privileged, as readers, to be trusted with her confessions, which are designed to make us feel but also to teach us something.
Toronto Star

Addonizio is brash and tender, pissed off and funny, well armored and wounded. Emotions, bravado, and empathy run high in her award-garnering poetry and novels, and she now taps into the wellsprings of her creativity in this rollicking and wrenching memoir-in-essays. . . . Always vital, clever, and seductive, Addonizio, a secular Anne Lamott, a spiritual aunt to Lena Dunham, delivers shock and awe, humor and pathos with panache.
Booklist

Filled with Addonizios usual jaunty wit, sarcasm, and irreverence. This Emily Dickinson with a strap-on, as she calls herself, is ruthlessly honest and writes so well that whatever she's excoriating or dissing or musing about becomes immediately fascinating. . . . An unrelenting, authentic, literary midnight confession.
Kirkus Reviews

"This is Addonizio in a nutshell: funny, frank, vulgar, and just a little bit vulnerable. . . . Her writing is charmingly self-aware, at times confessional (a descriptor she likens to being tarred and feathered), but never apologetic. She wears her sexual misadventures, her drinking habits, and her anxieties over abandonment and failure like a badge, if not of honor, then of identity.
Publishers Weekly

It would be easy to compareKim Addonizios memoir with the writings of Anne Lamott or the humor of Amy Schumer, but that would not do justice to her quirky, irreverent, incredibly funny writing. In these short essays about her personal and writing life, Addonizio takes aim primarily at herself. She brings humor to middle age, life as a writer with a certain level of achievement, her drinking and drug use, many one-night stands, her marriages that have failed and falling in love with a younger man. . . . Yet, unlike many memoirists who cover similar topics, she writes with a tone and attitude that leaves the reader wanting just a tiny bit more, kind of like the vodka and lemonade shes fond of imbibing.
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Author Bio

Kim Addonizio is an award-winning author of fiction, essays, and poetry. She has received numerous honors for her work, including the John Ciardi Lifetime Achievement Award and fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. Her poetry collection Tell Me was a finalist for the National Book Award, and she has won Pushcart Prizes for both poetry and prose. She is also the author of two popular writing guides for poets, The Poet's Companion and Ordinary Genius, and teaches and performs internationally. She divides her time between New York City and the Bay Area.