Laird, Nick

Laird writes remarkable poems, self-reflective and socially drenched. Those here are rich instances of awakening and discovery. Highly recommended.

Laird's intensely layered third novel (Utterly Monkey; Glover's Mistake) beautifully weaves together the threads borne of provocative questions about the possibility of redemption rising from the horrors of war and the courage required to survive the detonation of love.

Readers looking for recent collections with humor and formal deftness should look elsewhere: Natalie Shapero's No Object, for example, or Craig Morgan Teicher's To Keep Love Blurry.