Grey Held

WORKaDAY Grey Held

WINNER OF THE 2019 FUTURECYCLE POETRY BOOK PRIZE. WORKaDAY is a collection of lyrical poems steeped in the sardonic commerce of American business, and revealing of capitalism's glaring incongruity, when its practitioners show sparse evidence of their purported caring for employees, communities, or even their customers. The book is organized loosely around the author's experiences as a tech sector industry analyst and as director of a team of customer consultants for a global information services company. Readers experience life inside the office and are invited along for the privileged rituals of business travel, both domestic and abroad. Along the way appear hotels, restaurants, casinos, and museums whose contents resonate in counterpoint to the journey's purpose. WORKaDAY gives a whimsical nod to clichéd corporate jargon-"think outside the box," "connect the dots," "bottom-line it"-while touching on deep issues of the environment, work ethic, immigration, and war. With pathos and humor the book explores the fallout from executive decisions, including the emotional aftermath of cutbacks and layoffs.