by Karen Finley
City Lights Books
3/4/2025, paperback
SKU: 9780872869356
COVID Vortex Anxiety Opera Kitty Kaleidoscope Disco meditates on the extraordinary time of loss, isolation, and bizarre rituals of the Covid era and its aftermath.
First performed at sold-out theaters in New York, where the Village Voice compared Karen Finley to Allen Ginsberg and Gregory Corso, this vivid suite of poems invokes a maelstrom of feelings that will make you laugh and cry, sometimes on the same page. In COVID Vortex Anxiety Opera Kitty Kaleidoscope Disco, Finley processes the pandemic in all its complexity--from the collective coping strategies during isolation and loss to the absurd new habits we acquired, from handwashing to wiping down groceries to decorative double masks and zoom dance parties.
The New York City hotspot echoes an earlier AIDS era; that rage and sorrow remain part of the City's DNA. During COVID, tragic historic events such as the police murder of George Floyd and the continued brutality on Black and brown bodies, challenged the nation. Revolution took to the streets. The reversal of Roe v. Wade and the criminalizing of trans peoples' bodies, mental health realities, houselessness, essential workers' rights, and social isolation brought desperate conditions. Finley reflects on these traumas, asking how do we employ love despite the hate, to encourage humanity despite proliferating violence?
On the fifth anniversary of the pandemic lockdown, COVID Vortex Anxiety Opera Kitty Kaleidoscope Disco looks back while also looking forward, offering art as salvation, and the deep belief in the power of words, compassion, and humor to transcend the harsh realities of today.
Reviews:
"Yep, she's still got it. . . . Like the most inspiring religious services, 'Covid Vortex Anxiety Opera Kitty Kaleidoscope Disco' ends on an optimistic note, with Finley pivoting from shock and horror at the lives lost, access and control over one's body into hope--for change, peace, courage, love. And art. Always art."--Elisabeth Vincentelli, The New York Times
"The structure here is a series of poems, their inspiration bards such as Gregory Corso and Allen Ginsberg. . . . Obviously, her work is never done, and the culture will keep throwing situations her way, to be met by her unrestrained talent. Her intention here is to heal herself and us, to help us see ourselves, feel our fellowship, and be able to say, 'Look, we've come through!' In this, she succeeds."--Elisabeth Zimmer, The Village Voice
"Karen Finley is like a profane Mother Goose for our contemporary world, weaving together verses and drawings to guide us in making sense of the cruelty of so many pandemics -- not only viral, but political too. Like the best nursery rhymes and cautionary tales, she recounts scenes of life during Covid that are both extraordinary and mundane, and reassures us that, while many things rest on fate, how we respond is ultimately in our own hands. Some pieces read like seething battle cries as we face ongoing storm, while others are soothing lullabies offering a momentary respite of calm. Either way, in her oracular wisdom, Finley reminds us that the only way to survive is through community, creativity, and care." -- Lil Miss Hot Mess, author of If You're a Drag Queen and You Know It
About the Author:
Karen Finley is an artist, performer, and poet. Born in Chicago, she received her MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute. Finley was the named plaintiff for the Supreme Court case Finley v. NEA that challenged the decency provision in government grants to artists through the National Endowment for the Arts. Her work has been presented internationally such as the Barbican in London; Lincoln Center, New York City; Art Basel in Miami; and the Centre Pompidou in Paris, among others. She is the author of nine books, including Grabbing Pussy (OR Books, 2018), the 25th anniversary edition of Shock Treatment (City Lights, 2015), and The Reality Shows (Feminist Press, 2011). A recipient of many awards and grants, including a Guggenheim Fellowship, she is a professor in Art and Public Policy at New York University. She lives in Westchester County, New York.