The Plot Genie. This item is unavailable.The Plot Genie

Inspired by "the plot genie"--a plot-generating device created in the 1930s that used numerical games of chance to divine character traits and plot points--this imaginative, book-length poem discusses the ways in which people are re-created, inspired, aroused, and persuaded by the power of the stories that they listen to and share. Rich in scene and cinematic quality, the plot--visual and literary, old and new--recombines all into a simultaneous present, examining society's endless hunger for narrative. Exploring and blending genres with exciting and lyrical language, references to film and pop culture are laced throughout. Presenting a memorable cast in moving and humorous motifs, this rich composition explores the way the characters behave when inhabiting a construct created by ideas.

Gillian Conoley is an award-winning poet and the founder and editor of VOLT -- a national literary magazine. She lives in Corte Madera, California.