Philly Poetry Chapbook Review is pleased to present four original poems by allison whittenberg as our third of seven biweekly featured poets of the Summer 2025 issue.
Poems
Eaten
Hollywood Babylon brewed the myth
That’s digested without tasting truth
Malnourished due to how she drank
She drank to dull what the studios drained
Replaced in favor of younger ingenues
She had more art to give
If your capable of class, dream factory
Admit this: Marie Prevost was not “doggie’s dinner”
Her pet didn’t feed on her undiscovered corpse
He barked, howled, desperate for the world to see her
Lost Film
rising star, Martha Mansfield,
went up in flames
a freak Hollywood hazard.
A flammable costume,
those antebellum ruffles
on her large hoop dress,
a lit match tossed her way.
The Warrens of Virginia,
released posthumously.
No print survives.
Harry and Carmen
I know his handsome face, playing
opposite the first Black woman
nominated for an Academy Award
GI Joe, chased by a hot bundle of hips
swaying. Bizet’s Carmen, reimagined in Black
America, charisma intact, though his voice
dubbed poorly. Too much “dat” and “dis”
To be enjoyed, oh Harry,
But not without a wince.
The Vamp
her dark hair short,
confused, with Louise Brooks,
Lya de Putti, Hungarian born
silent era actress
danced and went nude, per request
studied English for the talkies transition
but died to Hollywood
long before that chicken bone
could be removed from her throat
the cruelty of a factory that lures
promising eternal sunshine
yet, slaps with a backhanded
compliment in Cabaret
and, a handful of bubbles,
glistening and gone.
About These Poems
I wrote these poem ‘Eaten,”Lost Film’,’Harry and Carmen’ and ‘The Vamp’ as a tribute to Old Hollywood. I grew up as a film buff and I loved reading Hollywood Babylon. Over the years, I have learned to separate the truth from the myths.
Author Bio
Allison Whittenberg is an award-winning novelist and playwright. Her poetry has appeared in Columbia Review, Feminist Studies, J Journal, and New Orleans Review. Whittenberg is a six-time Pushcart Prize nominee. They Were Horrible Cooks is her collection of poetry.
Killing the Father of Our Country is her lastest novel.
Contents
Chapbook Poem: The Blessed Knot by Li-Young Lee
“A well-made poem is a knot, but not a tangle. The well-made knot of a poem can disentangle readers from illusion, to free them from confusion. Poetry is a form of disillusionment.” Read the July Chapbook Poem by Li-Young Lee along with words from the poet.
“This work is an archive of my attempts to become more familiar with who I am, and why I am here, to immerse myself in these ancient spiritual questions…” Check out five poems and five images by Laynie Browne along with a few words from the poet.
Book Excerpt: Creating Space by Lisa Sewell
“Yoga, the walks, and the writing became a daily exercise in paying attention—to the world, to the bodies in the world around me and to my own body…” Read the Excerpt Poem of the Month for July 2025 by Lisa Sewell along with words from the poet.
“My poetry tries to examine … the difference between the lives we live inside ourselves and the lives we expose to other people.” Read five poems by William Doreski along with a few words from the poet.
July ’25: Poetry Readers Wanted
Read a note from editor Aiden Hunt about PCR’s Summer poetry and new poetry reader opportunities brought by our growing original poetry submissions.
Four Poems by allison whittenberg
“I grew up as a film buff and I loved reading Hollywood Babylon. Over the years, I have learned to separate the truth from the myths.” Read four poems by allison whittenberg along with a few words from the poet.