">Donger Does Poetry Kien Lieu, a.k.a. The Donger, self-publishes a book of poems.
Kickflips off rooftops, K-grinds down kinked rails, switch 540s on vert–all these take guts. But writing poetry for seven years and then publishing a book of it by yourself–never mind telling skaters about it–now that takes balls. Skaters, while they've been known to appreciate their ollies (and Kien Lieu can pop 'em higher than almost anybody), have never been renowned for their poetry appreciation. But Lieu says kids will be able to identify with his work: "A lot of the experiences in the book are experiences that skaters have gone through–everyone can relate to it."
Lieu doesn't write rhyming pieces about ollieing dump trucks or lusty loves; his writings are based on introspection. "That's what I like about poetry, it allows me to see my own thoughts, and helps me understand myself." He's done a couple of poetry readings at universities and even participated in panel discussions involving artists.
Now, following that paragraph of aesthetic insight, we need to ask the universal question–how high can you ollie? "F–k, I don't know," he says laughing. "I've never measured it. There was a contest in Switzerland, and I ollied a bar that was a little above my waist."
Lieu's book is available through Imperial Distribution, call 1-877-700-8383.
