Distinctive, Innovative Writing?

Quick preface: I don't read much--I admit this to myself--so what I define as innovative (and bring in) may, in fact, not be as innovative as something that say, Nate B, may bring in. With that little caveat taken care of, I plan to bring in an excerpt (and the book itself) of Nick Flynn's Another Bullshit Night In Suck City. To begin, a I have a poetic man-crush on Flynn--he was the first contemporary poet I really connected with.

I've been writing poetry ever since I can remember, but, well...it started off as big word after big word that amounted to nothing resonant, really. Anyway, in college, during a lit class, I got exposed to Blake's "London" (and then Songs of Innocence/Experience and it took off from there. Then, somehow, either through Bread Loaf or Legitimate Dangers, I saw Flynn and "Cartoon Physics, Part I"--sooooooooooo good. Right up my alley--making the "cold" sciences (in this case, physics) warm with the real life (how perceptions change from childhood to adulthood). Anyway, long story short, I have two of his poetry collections (Some Ether and Blind Huber), and the aforementioned memoir.

The memoir is not so much about Flynn himself, but his connection with his would-be-but-often-deadbeat-aspiring-artist-but-in-his-(the father's)-mind-one-of-the-best-American-Writers-EVAR. Misuse of dashes FTW! Anyway, not only is the writing very...poetic (cop-out, yeah--sue me!), but there are sections (or whole chapters) that take on forms such as his father's thoughts, questionnaires, letters, list of facts, inventories, pattern and variation, plays, fragments, poetry, and Q&A's. In addition, the memoir is not strictly linear, and sometimes, chapters will jump by decades forward and back (often, before the chapter begins, the year of the chapter's action will be signaled via parentheses). I'm not sure what chapter I'll bring to pass out, as I'm really conscious about having something short to not kill many trees, which I guess is a reason I'm bringing in the book, too.

Next entry: the Gurlesque (and the Blackesque--sorta--maybe).

-Glenn

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Kanye West - All of the Lights

I'm a sucker for major keys (they're "happy") and horns. Very much an anthem, methinks.



Finch - Ink

Main riff catchy/interesting (definitely an odd time-sig--I should count it out, but it feels like 7/8-9/8 [although it may be straight 4/4 but messing with the downbeat but...I doubt it.]). Anyway, fun chorus/breakdown. Another anthem-like song, methinks.