Young, Dean

Young’s improvisations are simultaneously hilarious and poignant, revealing a deeply felt humanity and a covert awareness of our shared zeitgeist (“If you didn’t wake up/ screaming, you didn’t wake up”) that cause them to inspire no less than they entertain.

The final poem is titled "Believe in Magic?" and though the initial response is "How could I not?" in the end Young's a burning piece of paper, hanging in air, unreadable. That's where he leaves us in this energizing book, which takes chances and gives no answers.

Some serious-minded readers may grow exasperated with Young's kitchen-sink approach and class-clown shenanigans, but others will admire an energetic imagination that shows no sign of depletion even after 11 vibrant collections.