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Hipster Haiku

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O, hipster
The dive bars, the vintage duds?
Great material.

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

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About the author

Siobhan Adcock

5 books90 followers
Siobhan Adcock is the author of the novels The Barter and The Completionist. She lives in Brooklyn.

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5 stars
28 (26%)
4 stars
25 (23%)
3 stars
30 (28%)
2 stars
20 (18%)
1 star
3 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
Profile Image for Juliana.
389 reviews1 follower
March 17, 2010
The reason I think its amazing is that I was fully engrossed in it while reading it at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston waiting for the rain to die down. Two years later, I still chuckle at the thought of one of the haikus. Its a completely silly book but any haiku with David Cross in it is A-OK in my universe. Whatever your thoughts may be on hipsterdom, it's still an enjoyable read. I always say I should have bought the damn book. Such a short read that you can read it at the bookstore.
Profile Image for John.
293 reviews25 followers
September 3, 2023
I was perusing my library when I ran across "Hipster Hiaku". It seemed like it would be a lovely time-capsule from when being a millennial meant being a young adult.

Being a hipster then meant certain markers of style and taste, establishing an in-group with its preferences, but only light clique-i-ness instead of any particular real hostility to outsiders. This celebration was light and fun, only fun snarky.

The hiaku form made for a brief read; only the lightest perusal in the regular rotation and it was done. Yet, it was not too light, there was still just enough to have a full experience.

Like the cultural reign of the hipster, "Hipster Hiaku" was light, it was fun, and then it was done.

Overall, enough to like, but not much more.
Profile Image for Harris.
1,080 reviews31 followers
November 23, 2020
"I don’t blog daily
Such foolish consistency
Says 'I have no life'”

Of course, the truth is I would totally blog daily if I wasn't such a procrastinator!

A stylish and humorous take down of hipsterdom, circa 2006, is the collection of tongue in cheek haiku by Siobahn Adcock, which also seems to be among the first hipster books to be published based on a blog, a tradition which seems to be the norm these days. Adcock's casual poetry is like a self-deprecating time capsule of pop culture references, name dropping a lot of familiar stuff, websites, bands, authors, shops, all that stuff. Of course, it is all pretty dated, as well, but that seems to be the fate of hipster studies- things barely last a year before being abandoned.

The stereotypes remain, though, and Adcock's work is a nice reflection of this juxtaposition between the sincere and the ironic that exemplifies the culture, with an insider's understanding of the ridiculous nature of the genre. I certainly got a lot more of the references now than when I first read it back in '07.

"You know you’ve arrived
When you are mentioned in the
Wikipedia"

Remember a time when we might still call it "The" Wikipedia?
Profile Image for Robert Beveridge.
2,402 reviews181 followers
February 12, 2008
Siobhan Adcock, Hipster Haiku (Broadway, 2006)

I keep hoping that one of these novelty-haiku books will actually get haiku right. I keep being disappointed. That said, some of them have been funny while still being senryu. This is not one of them. Poking fun at emo kids while your collection has an overarching sense of existential angst makes me think that, perhaps, an important point was missed somewhere.

“He is midtown, but
Loves to call stuff 'sick' and 'tight'.
Bless his little heart.”

and

“Only three labels,
Merge, Sub Pop, and Matador,
deserve your money”

are pretty typical selections. If 150 pages of the same appeals to you, by all means go for it. **
Profile Image for SmarterLilac.
1,376 reviews59 followers
August 3, 2009
Heh heh. Very clever. I was 'deeply' amused.

Sample haikus:

I have a trust fund.
So what? Tons of artists do--
There's no shame in it.

While he sleeps, I spy
Ann Coulter on his bookshelf.
Slip out quietly.

I don't blog daily
Such foolish consistency
Says, 'I have no life.'

When I said 'I've shown'
At that gallery, I meant
'Shown up for work there.'

Urban Outfitters
Like the Minotaur it lurks
In darkness to kill.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Meg.
16 reviews2 followers
September 14, 2007
I read this book in Berkley in a bookstore down the street from La Note (fabulous breakfast place). My friend liked it and so I let ze buy it as they only had the one copy and it isn't one that I would reread on a regular basis. Though it may be a good bathroom book ;)
Profile Image for Jen.
358 reviews15 followers
January 4, 2009
oh my i do love a haiku, and this book is chock full of silly and funny ones. i tend to leave this on the coffee table for people to pick up and page through. a great gift from my dear friend Scottie.
Profile Image for Bill.
238 reviews3 followers
November 3, 2009
It's exactly what you expect. Some cute, some clever, some worthy of a scoff and an eyeroll. It's nice to tote around, and it's a fun game to play with friends when killing time at a bar. My only tip: don't spend more than $5 on it.
Profile Image for Linnea.
561 reviews5 followers
April 4, 2007
Haikus about Conor Oberst and American Apparel. Oh my. Sexy, in a sad, non-dancing kind of way.
Profile Image for Rob.
Author 7 books12 followers
September 7, 2007
saw this on a table at the Baltimore Barnes and Noble. good work, team Cornell.
260 reviews165 followers
September 14, 2007
My roommate Lauren has this book, and it's actually really hilarious. For example:
If you see a bald man
In a Lower East Side Bar
It is David Cross.
12 reviews4 followers
April 4, 2008
Makes me laugh every time I flip through it in Seth's bathroom...
Profile Image for Micaela.
99 reviews
May 11, 2013
Sure, it's a novelty, but it has to be taken with a grain of salt. These poems poke fun at the culture of self-important hipsters, and the results are pretty hilarious.
6 reviews1 follower
June 10, 2009
Absolutely hysterical, and so true. Hipsters may be worse than Marina douchebags.
Profile Image for Karen.
36 reviews24 followers
December 31, 2011
Good haiku tells the whole story. Surprisingly, there were some truly wonderful haiku in this book. I wasn't expecting that from a book I read while looking for a laugh.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews

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