This author was once the wise-fool of poetry criticism. His “Reaper Essays,” taken from the journal he co-edited with Rodney McDowell, was filled with an equal amount of... Read More

By beginning her poetry collection with Oscar Wilde’s adage: “One’s real life is so often the life that one does not lead,” Budy prepares the reader for the disjuncture... Read More

Skloot possesses an extraordinary talent, demonstrated in this, his third book of poetry. The title is subterfuge, luring belief in a metaphor about endings. In his skilled... Read More

Thiel’s ear for meter is astute, and her skill at forms is attested to by prize after prize, not to mention two chapbooks from the formalist small press Aralia; her mainstream... Read More

McDowell titles his collection with a straight face, and bolsters its contention with sobersided essays by Dana Gioia, Paul Zarzyski, Nancy McClelland and Kathy Ogren—but most... Read More

“Why is most contemporary poetry so dull? It is a measure of the author’s generosity that when this challenge is issued—midway into a collection of essays and reviews of... Read More

Braided narratives, subtle shifts from mythical to modern times, complex allusions to both film noir and pop culture and social consciousness characterize this collection of... Read More