Maggie Estep

One of those poet persons, an occasional post-Patti poetrocker (we need more of these, methinks), with mixed results, and one-time "Poetry Babe" on MTV, back when the network was using spoken word pieces as filler (it was much better than the regular programming, actually, which is why it lasted about a month); she has a novel, Diary of an Emotional Idiot, that I haven't read, and a collection of short stories, Soft Maniacs, ditto.

Someone else will come up with a better writeup, since Ms. Estep only shows up on my radar every couple of years. My "zap me" will come later. In the meantime, peruse The Stupid Jerk I'm Obsessed With, I'm An Emotional Idiot, and Sex Goddess of the Western Hemisphere. Have a nice day!

MAGGIE ESTEP is an American artist known for zany and inspired poetry, sometimes set to music. She has published two books, Diary of an Emotional Idiot (Harmony, 1997) and Soft Maniacs (Simon and Schuster, 1999) with a third book called "Hex" coming from Shaye Areheart Books in December of 2002. Her two spoken word CDs, No More Mr. Nice Girl and Love is a Dog from Hell, achieved success amongst both the "poetry underground" and with mass-media giant MTV, which used soundbites from her performance as an attention-getter.

Maggie Estep grew up traveling around the US and France with her parents, who worked as horse trainers, and she still rides today in Prospect Park, Brooklyn. She has competed in numerous Poetry Slams across the nation. She attended the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics in Boulder, Colorado, and has a BA in Literature from the State University of New York.

Like many poetry slammers, her style is both aggressive and self-searching, telling stories with a flair that I believe escapes most. She has a way of telling you about utterly random things that make you wish her pieces went on longer. Classics like Ingeborg, Mistress of the Dark and The Stupid Jerk I'm Obsessed With will stay with you for days, if not your lifetime.

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References:

Website: Maggie Estep (http://www.maggieestep.com/)

Website: Shunt - the Official Recoil Website, Recoil Collaborators - Maggie Estep (http://www.recoil.co.uk/afiles/coll/magg.htm)