Here’s a positive review for Not a Wake by Michael Keith (PDF version):
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The title Not A Wake is itself a Pilish phrase (3, 1, 4, 1, 5), but the book creates a deceptive irony. The title suggests a dream state or a lack of consciousness ("not awake"), yet the text itself requires a hyper-vigilant, fully conscious state to compose. Writing a coherent sentence is difficult enough; writing one where every word must be a specific length is a feat of linguistic engineering. The fact that Keith manages to sustain this across various literary genres—including poetry, plays, short stories, and even a crossword puzzle—transforms the work from a gimmick into a genuine piece of art. Here’s a positive review for Not a Wake
"Not A Wake" by Michael Keith is a 110-page work of constrained writing that encodes the first 10,000 digits of Writing a coherent sentence is difficult enough; writing
: Dialogue-heavy sections where even character names must fit the
Some readers may find the tone relentlessly subdued; there are few moments of catharsis or uplift. Yet that restraint is also the book’s power. It refuses easy closure, instead offering a quiet, fragmented meditation on how we live with absence. Recommended for those who appreciate contemporary poets like Franz Wright or Marie Howe.
Keith has noted that while the constraint is difficult, it often suggests surreal images and creative phrasing that wouldn't occur in standard writing.