All That Glitters: Dark Sparkler Is Morbid, Pissed Off, & One of the Best Books of Celebrity Poetry Out There

Amber Tamblyn's third book of poetry, like all books by celebrities, didn't have to be good in order to get published. But it is, and stands as a powerful example of what celebrity books can do.

You’re reading All That Glitters: (Re)appraisals of musicians, actors, and other culture-makers who have written and/or published poetry.

All That Glitters is a semi-regular feature of PopPoetry, a poetry and pop culture Substack written by Caitlin Cowan. You can learn more about it here. Check out the archive to see other TV shows, movies, and films whose intersections with poetry I’ve covered. If you like what you read and want it in your inbox, subscribe so you won’t miss a post!

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Dark Sparkler design by Gregg Kulick, Image CSA Images

What makes us want to read books of poetry by famous people? Memoirs by famous folks make a straightforward kind of sense: the public is curious about what it’s like to be Mia Farrow or Will Smith, and a memoir promises to reveal truths about its subject. But what about poetry? Considering that this art form that blends fact and fiction and is free from the constraints of linearity, reality, and even typical syntax and grammar, what do we hope to learn from celebrities who create it?

What makes someone who has achieved fame and fortune in another discipline want to publish a book of poetry? Is it the desire to realize a fuller conception of one’s selfhood, as Ben Lerner has argued? Dollar signs? A double-dog dare? Or is it something more?