Tender Buttons [A Long Dress]

“Trimmings” by Harryette Mullen (1990)

It is no accident that this book-length poem by American poet Harryette Mullen was first published by Tender Buttons Press. Explicitly inspired by and interacting with Stein’s Tender Buttons, Mullen’s book demonstrates the lasting impact Stein has on American poetry. Mullen updates Stein’s text to investigate race, gender, and the unique linguistic circumstances in which citizens of the contemporary era find themselves.

“Susie Asado” by Gertrude Stein (1912)

For an example of Stein’s poetry in a more traditional, lineated format, “Susie Asado” is exemplary. This short poem is rhythmically bold and stuffed full of puns and double (and triple) entendres. Like “A Long Dress,” this poem uses colors, clothing, and mundane objects to multiply meanings. Unlike “A Long Dress,” this poem is divided into lines, structured around repetition, and shows Stein’s more playful and musical side.

“Songs to Joannes” by Mina Loy (1917)

In many ways, Mina Loy is “the other” giant of feminist, avant-garde poetry of the early-20th century. Where Stein has Tender Buttons, Loy has “Songs to Joannes,” a shockingly fresh, long, serial Modernist poem. Unlike Stein and her syntactical play, Loy’s long poem is characterized by its experimentation with the image, lineation, and punctuation.