Movie and television director Stephen Gyllenhaal takes readers on a profoundly humanistic journey in Claptrap: Notes from Hollywood, his first book of poetry. Recently published by Cantarabooks LLC, this impressive offering includes 46 poems that evoke marvelous cinematic images and stir the emotions -- two things I always expect good poetry to do for me. 

"The origins of my poems are the same origins of my work in films -- I'm pulled into a scene in my head -- often foggy -- and do my best to somehow capture it," Gyllenhaal said in a recent interview conducted by JakeWatch.com.   

Gyllenhall, husband of screenwriter Naomi Foner and father of actors Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal, directed the acclaimed films Paris Trout and Losing Isaiah, but “poetry is the foundation of the many facets of his life: husband, father, movie-man, friend, observer of Hollywood,” according to Hugh Ogden, Professor Emeritus at Trinity College. In Claptrap’s intriguing Foreword, Gyllenhaal’s former professor writes, “Few poets have depicted the ‘glitz’ so well and seen the human condition behind it.”

Although actress Jamie Lee Curtis, a published author herself, admits being afraid of poetry, she raves about Claptrap in the book’s well-written Introduction. She calls Gyllenhaal’s poems complicated and scary (among other more complimentary descriptions, of course), but confesses they captured her imagination and “invite you to want to know more.” Cantara Christopher, Gyllenhaal’s publisher, says she was drawn to the director’s poetry because it is “by turns confessional, mischievous, humble, lustful, tender, furious and profound.”

While all of the poems in Claptrap fascinated me because of their stunning imagery and emotional pull, “Camera,” “Tender,” and “Confession” are my favorites. By referring to the heart as "a Viking at the oar in full battle regalia" in "Tender," Gyllenhaal calls up visions of glorious Saturday movie matinees. And his director-poet eye lands on just the right angles in "Camera," which praises “searching for the holy grail of horizontal and vertical, the perfect tilt to catch a face, fingertips, a sigh.” In the provocative “Confession,”  film-savvy Gyllenhaal compares the shoulders of his object of affection to those of Katharine Hepburn in the 1940s, yet fesses up, “It’s to your knees that my eyes fall.”  

Where can you find this hidden gem? Only at AuthorsBookshop.com, a small new online company.   Cantara Christopher explains, “Just like in the movie business, the old way of getting your work to the public is breaking down. The big impersonal online retailers used to be the only alternative for small presses. Now it’s time to give places like AuthorsBookshop.com a chance to let independent authors like Stephen find their audience.”

Claptrap: Notes from Hollywood definitely deserves to find its audience. Stephen Gyllenhaal’s first book of poetry is a rare treat to read and savor.