Disclosure - Dana Teen Lomax

I have to admit -- there's a nakedness and a vulnerability about this book that really intrigued me. At first glance, I thought this book was a collection of accumulated documents belonging to the author. And it is. But if you sift through the scattering of details, there's something so raw about the information contained within them. Bills, debt, earnings, etc -- all of these topics are somewhat socially taboo. I was raised that it's impolite to ask someone how much they earn, how big their debt load is, what their medical records look like, etc. In fact, at my place of employment, it's unacceptable to ask another employee in a comparable position how much they earn. Not only do you run the risk of offending the person you ask, you could even have disciplinary action taken against you. So to have someone openly publish their income statements and do it in such a nonchalant way, it completely blew my mind. It's one thing to talk about these things among close friends and family, but to show the world? That takes balls, in my opinion.
Writing can be an incredibly personal experience for some people, but you can still hide behind the narrator when your piece is shared. There is absolutely nothing to hide behind when you show someone personal documents. It has your name, it has your information, and it has a harsh reality to it. As weird as I found this form of poetry, I admire it. It's not easy putting yourself out there for everyone to see and judge.