Pastoral, Pragmatism, and Twentieth-Century American Poetry by Ann Marie Mikkelsen My Goodreads rating: 4 of 5 stars Ann Marie Mikkelsen’s extensive research has yielded a very informative book on the use of pastoral themes in twentieth century poetry. Her prime… Read More ›
Literary Criticism
Poetry and Literary Criticism
Notable Poetry Books of 2016
In no particular order, here are the notable books of poetry published in 2016 that are, in whole or in part, “must reads”: Frederick Seidel, Widening Income Inequality Vahni Capildeo, Measures of Expatriation Denise Riley, Say Something Back Brenda Shaughnessy,… Read More ›
Introduction to Modern and Contemporary Poetry
Poetry in the Pastoral Mode i Scholars believe pastoral poetry began with Hesiod’s Works and Days (700 BCE), an oral poem of approximately 800 lines that was “part farmer’s almanac and part didactic exploration of the nature of human labor.”[1] Critical opinion,… Read More ›
A.R. Ammons – “Cascadilla Falls”
Though A.R. Ammons (1926-2001) had a late start at it, he eventually produced nearly thirty books of poetry, twice winning the National Book Award, and is now counted among the great American poets of the twentieth century. Ammons’ extraordinary career… Read More ›
Notes on Ange Mlinko’s “Cottonmouth”
I was bedeviled and enchanted by Ange Mlinko’s newest published poem, “Cottonmouth” (Poetry Feb. 2016), which is like classical poetry on sex, drugs and rap’n’roll. More importantly, the poem is a dense linguistic jam session of literary technique in the… Read More ›
Noteworthy Books of Poetry Published In 2015
As it is customary to herald the annual top picks in everything under the sun, including poetry, I wanted to add my voice to the rabble. My selections do not remotely coincide with anyone else’s list — in fact, I… Read More ›
Naomi Guttman wins the CNY Book Award in Poetry for 2015
The Banquet of Donny & Ari: Scenes from the Opera by Naomi Guttman Naomi Guttman weaves the Greek myths of Dionysus and Ariadne with that of Orpheus and Eurydice into fleshed-out multidimensional tableaus that depict the story of a modern… Read More ›
