"This is me flirting. I know I'm doomed."
April 3, 2013 12:09 PM   Subscribe

The Sally Draper Poems by Jennica Harper.

From the introduction by Tammy Armstrong: "Inspired by the insanely provocative television series, Mad Men, Jennica Harper’s poem cycle here traces the meandering thoughts of pubescent Sally Draper, the oft times neglected offspring of paterfamilias and part-time Lothario, Don Draper. Harper’s monologues capture Sally’s experiences at the edges of the masculine, cut-throat world of Manhattan’s advertising, and the shifting social upheavals of the 1960s."

via Pickle Me This
posted by alicat (22 comments total) 25 users marked this as a favorite
 
OK, that was fantastic. Especially the poem about Carla.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 12:19 PM on April 3, 2013 [5 favorites]


oof, where do I leave Kudos?

That getting a gift poem was cutting.
posted by The Whelk at 12:22 PM on April 3, 2013 [2 favorites]


Ms. Harper has responded to the only comment on the site, so I would leave kudos there.

And here: Kudos!
posted by hamandcheese at 12:26 PM on April 3, 2013


like it.

Recently on Twitter I have been seeing some tweets from teenage girls who are obsessed with One Direction, developing into some sort of mini-fan fiction subculture that results in tweets like this one:

"Imagine Niall's face trying to hold back tears when u are telling him you have to break up because ur moving away"

I feel voyeuristic to read it, but the real/not real crossover makes it more intense than the stuff of this post...? Of course 1 Direction are famous for their 'Larry Stylinson' fan fiction explosion....
posted by colie at 12:30 PM on April 3, 2013


I'm a little in two minds about the poems--I think they might work better, actually, without the "Sally Draper" connection. But I just wanted to say what a fantastic actress the girl who plays Sally Draper is. I can completely understand why someone would want to get inside her head, because she makes it so obviously a remarkable (and terrifying) place to be.
posted by yoink at 12:48 PM on April 3, 2013 [3 favorites]


Sally Draper absolutely destroys me. Every time. When her mom slaps her? When she got her period? Poor perverted Glenn? Ugh. She is the reason I continue to watch Mad Men. Secretly, I think the whole show is really about her and the woman she will become.
posted by ColdChef at 1:04 PM on April 3, 2013 [21 favorites]


These are fantastic, great imagery.

"What they don’t tell you is, you still have to pay your dues."
posted by arcticseal at 1:29 PM on April 3, 2013


God, I love living in an age where you can write good poems about good TV shows.

I am not a Mad Men obsessive (though have probably read more about it than I've actually watched it over the last few seasons) but these were just spot on.

Was it here or somewhere else (like an actual TV critic) who said that Sally Draper may be the actual secret protagonist (or some such word meaning same) of Mad Men?

On preview, I hadn't actually read ColdChef's comment before asking that question, I swear. But maybe you said something similar previously and it stuck in my head.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 1:30 PM on April 3, 2013 [1 favorite]


AH! Jennica was a film school instructor of mine, and a good friend from my Vancouver days. I totally adore her, and you should all read her stuff.
posted by Naberius at 1:58 PM on April 3, 2013


MCMikeNamara, you might be thinking of this:

"In season three, the series tentatively started giving Sally actual storylines, and when Shipka proved up to the task, seasons four and five offered even more, to the point where it started to seem like Sally might be the series’ stealth protagonist."AV Club
posted by roger ackroyd at 2:08 PM on April 3, 2013 [3 favorites]


Ah, these are great. Really great.

I love fanfictional poetry. Probably more than RL poetry.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 2:23 PM on April 3, 2013 [2 favorites]


Also. you guys I can't wait to talk about the next season with you.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 2:34 PM on April 3, 2013 [5 favorites]


Predictions begin now! Winner gets a drunken wooden feeling of satisfaction mixed with obligation!
posted by The Whelk at 2:35 PM on April 3, 2013 [5 favorites]


Was it here or somewhere else (like an actual TV critic) who said that Sally Draper may be the actual secret protagonist (or some such word meaning same) of Mad Men?

In the midst of a pretty negative review, Daniel Mendelsohn pointed out that Matthew Weiner is roughly the same age as the Draper children, so it absolutely makes sense that the show would have Sally as a secret protagonist and sort of viewer analogue. In some ways, it's a fantasy that children who grew up in the 60s have about what their parents were really up to while the kids were at school.
posted by Copronymus at 3:21 PM on April 3, 2013 [4 favorites]


I always kinda figured Sally was the now-grown-up viewer's representative, hey remember when your parents where just confusing and strange and everything sucks all the time? He says as the founding member of the Over-Identifying With Megan club.

Meanwhile Bobby Draper is probably collecting chipmunk corpses and weaving them into a fine suit and not one notices or cares.

Gene will accidentally invent cold fusion and then forget about it.
posted by The Whelk at 3:40 PM on April 3, 2013 [9 favorites]


I am suddenly obsessed with the idea that tv shows should have a poet laureate.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 4:11 PM on April 3, 2013 [5 favorites]


Did the cast and crew do anything to mark the beginning of the season? Any pre-season rituals to welcome back —
Kotter? That’s what we do. We do a whole episode of Welcome Back Kotter. [Laughs.] It’s intense. No. Really. We have a peanut butter and jelly party.
That would be great if it were true.
It is true! The women put jelly all over themselves and the men put peanut butter and we run full speed and bop! We bounce. It’s a much hairier party than you think it is.
Vulture talks with Vincent Kartheiser
posted by rewil at 4:56 PM on April 3, 2013


Hi, folks. Just wanted to thank you for going and checking out the poems (poetry rarely gets this kind of attention!) and for your thoughtful comments here. Nice to know there are so many other Sally fans. Enjoy the new season!
posted by Jennica at 6:32 PM on April 3, 2013 [18 favorites]


The last line of "Sally Draper at the Premiere of 'Jaws'" is crushing me. Oof.
posted by Elsa at 6:54 PM on April 3, 2013


Jennica, these were so, so great, really. They made me remember what it was like to love poetry again, and after my MFA, that's a hard thing to do. I went in all skeptical and huffy too, but by the end I was choked up. I want more, want to know what's going to happen to her. Thank you for writing them.

As for next season, I have no idea. My husband insists that Ginsberg and Peggy are going to get together. I ship it, but I don't believe it.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 8:35 PM on April 3, 2013


This is the good times
posted by Potomac Avenue at 9:22 PM on April 3, 2013


These are wonderful. I was really tweaked
by “Sally Drapers First Kiss”
posted by quazichimp at 1:03 AM on April 4, 2013


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