AltWeeklies Wire
'187 Reasons' is a Journey of the Soul, Race and Identity, Power and Strugglenew
Herrera's assemblage of essays, poems of varying degrees and form, songs and mixed-media work aims to confront what seems to be an eternal impasse for the Chicano: straddling the fence of an imaginary U.S.-Mexican border, hobbling at the edge of an identity and never quite being able to step onto one side or the other.
Jackson Free Press |
Brandi Herrera Pfrehm |
05-07-2008 |
Poetry
'The Immigrant's Contract' Is as Gripping a Read as a Great Novelnew
A book-length poem about manual work -- and rather dryly titled -- is an unlikely page-turner, but Kinsey pulls it off by amassing arresting details.
Seven Days |
Amy Lilly |
04-28-2008 |
Poetry
Just a Few Questionsnew
If Mark Doty's poems question us until we're certain, Rachel Zucker turns every statement into a question.
Sacramento News & Review |
Kel Munger |
04-11-2008 |
Poetry
Chris Vitiello's Linguistic Conundrumsnew
Reading Irresponsibility almost feels as though we've stumbled upon a writer's journal, full of copious note-taking and observation—as Vitiello might describe the process.
'The History of Anonymity' Both Approaches and Recedesnew
Jennifer Chang's poems make real use of the line, particularly the first of the batch, which is several pages long and shares the title of her collection.
C-Ville Weekly |
Sara Yenke |
03-12-2008 |
Poetry
Li-Young Lee's Poetry Lives Off Pagenew
In the age-old debate over whether poetry is, in essence, a literary art or performative one, the performers seem to have the upper hand.
Willamette Week |
Ben Waterhouse |
02-20-2008 |
Poetry
Collection Explores Writing as Revolutionary Activismnew
Spanning over a quarter century of conflict in the Middle East, and forwarding the voices of sixty poets from multiple nations, this collection offers an intricate understanding of what it means to resist, to give birth to change, to create meaning out of astonishing political chaos and violence
Sensuality and Storytelling Rulenew
Sheryl St. Germain offers a kind of time-lapse of two decades of her life and art -- it's a passionate, sometimes wrenching compendium with a few notable weaknesses.
Pittsburgh City Paper |
Bill O'Driscoll |
02-04-2008 |
Poetry
X.J. Kennedy's Latest Disappointsnew
While the usual X.J. Kennedy suspects—rhyme-and-meter mastery; a playful, often sardonic personality—thrive throughout, Peeping Tom's Cabin suffers from lethargy of theme.
'American Poets in the 21st Century': The New Poeticsnew
With apocryphal proclamations ("poetry is dead") being as common as formal innovations, the task of understanding where today's poetry fits in literary history and who is writing it is incredibly loaded.
Leaps for the Common Lifenew
New and recent books from New Mexico poets.
Weekly Alibi |
Lisa Lenard-Cook |
01-15-2008 |
Poetry
Robert Bringhurst's Simple Elegancenew
Everywhere Being is Dancing: Twenty Pieces of Thinking is an assemblage of well-considered ruminations, each one distinct but also linked by their creator’s deep erudition and plainspoken literary style.
The Georgia Straight |
Alexander Varty |
01-11-2008 |
Poetry
The Art of Versenew
Poet Jack Gilbert and artist Henryk Fantazos have created a fun collaborative objet d'art, Song of the Line.
Poems From Buchenwald Illuminate a Living Hellnew
Presented here in more than 50 bone-shaking adaptations by poet Fanny Howe, the devastating early works by sisters Henia and Ilona Karmel, survivors of the German concentration camp Buchenwald, are so harrowing I could read only a few at a time.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Ari Messer |
10-31-2007 |
Poetry
'American Poetry' Brings in All the Voicesnew
While a full read is a bit much for most, I avidly suggest that everyone read at least some, because what's in this book of old poetry isn't old news. American Poetry makes an unprecedented claim about American literary history -- it tells us that we don't only descend from New England.
Port Folio Weekly |
Leigh Kohnle |
10-24-2007 |
Poetry
