What Just Happened (book)
| Author | Richard Hell |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Christopher Wool |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Poetry |
| Publisher | Winter Editions |
| Publication date | June 22, 2023 |
| Media type | Print (paperback) |
| Pages | 156 |
| ISBN | 978-1-959708-00-1 |
What Just Happened is a 2023 poetry collection by the American writer and musician Richard Hell,[1] with images by the artist Christopher Wool. It was published by Winter Editions on June 22, 2023.[2] What Just Happened was Hell's first book of new poems in about 50 years, most of them written during the COVID-19 pandemic.[2][3]
Content
The book is divided into three parts. The first gathers new poems, most written during the 2020–2021 pandemic lockdown. The second is "Falling Asleep," an essay on hypnagogia and the nature of reality. The third, "Chronicle," is a sequence of 88 aphoristic notebook entries. Recurring subjects include aging, mortality, memory, and consciousness. Wool contributed black-and-white drawings made for the book.[2][3]
Reception
Reviewing the collection in The Brooklyn Rail, Raphael Rubinstein wrote that death and aging pervade the poems, attributing the mood more to Hell's own aging than to the pandemic. He described Wool's drawings as line-like forms that punctuate the poems.[3] In Heavy Feather Review, Peter Valente gave the collection a favorable review.[4] The book was also reviewed in NewPages[5], the Toronto Star,[1] and on the music site Legsville.[6]
References
- 1 2 Ah-Sen, Jean Marc (2023-08-26). "Grandfather of punk hungers for ideas". The Toronto Star. pp. C11. Retrieved 2026-06-28 – via Newspapers.com.
- 1 2 3 "What Just Happened". Winter Editions. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
- 1 2 3 Rubinstein, Raphael (September 2023). "Richard Hell's What Just Happened". The Brooklyn Rail. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
- ↑ Valente, Peter (2023-12-12). ""it all simply modulates incomprehensibly": On Richard Hell's Poetry Collection What Just Happened". Heavy Feather Review. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
- ↑ Anderson, Susan Kay (2023). "Book Review :: What Just Happened by Richard Hell and Christopher Wool". NewPages. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
- ↑ "Richard Hell's 'What Just Happened'". Legsville. Retrieved 2026-06-27.