A monumental collection from a poet whose lasting importance should now be recognized; essential for dedicated readers of contemporary American poetry.
Despite the poet’s tendency to overstuff some poems, he has a distinctive voice adept at capturing the moment: about a tattoo session, he says, “I watched the needle in the mirror stitch / my mirrored skin like softly oozing silk.” The best poems change and evolve, working that synergy between brain and heart and a loved other (“I am sorry. And the child // we declined /// shivers on the long black lawn”). A worthy addition to most collections.
Ríos’s poems of memory and aspiration are small masterpieces of clarity and caring, “Hard at the work of being human.” A richly hopeful collection that seems especially vital now. [See “Versifying,” LJ 1/20.]
Often incorporating short declarative sentences, Chang’s poems can veer toward being list-like but move forward quickly to endings that surprise and even amaze as they burrow deep into those grieving places all of us have experienced. Recommended for most collections.
A fine collection of spare, somber lyrics from an important figure in contemporary writing; with this volume, Freeman steps forward for merited attention as a poet in his own right. [See Barbara Hoffert’s “Versifying,” LJ 1/20.]
One of the poet’s great strengths is her ability to forge striking metaphors even if several veer far from the sensate world: “white petals disappear into his shadow like a conclusion.” But that’s a quibble, as most poems impart a passionate fierceness while revealing a shared humanity. Highly recommended for most collections.