The Dangerous Shirt by Alberto Ríos
Alberto Ríos, The Dangerous Shirt, poems: Ríos sends readers down a magical wormhole through mundane reality, creating a book of poems that fuses both magical realism and cultural physics. (Copper Canyon)
Review
-
-
A Gram of Mars by Becky Hagenston
Robert Boswell recommends A Gram of Mars, a first collection by Becky Hagenston: “Becky Hagenston writes with grace, conviction, and wit. The complex stories in this collection circle about the central question in our lives-coming to terms with our past, coming to terms with the present. The stories have the stuff of real life and…
-
Once the Shore by Paul Yoon
Don Lee recommends Once the Shore, stories by Paul Yoon: “These are lovely stories, rendered with a Chekhovian elegance. They span from post-World War II to the new millennium, with characters of different ethnicities, yet each story has a timelessness and relevance that’s haunting and unforgettable. Yoon is a sparkling new writer to welcome and…
-
The Renegade: Writings on Poetry and a Few Other Things by Charles Simic
Charles Simic, The Renegade: Writings on Poetry and a Few Other Things, essays: In this collection, Simic examines the work and lives of notable poets, novelists, artists, and playwrights in a series of critical portraits. (Braziller)
-
A Mayan Astronomer in Hell’s Kitchen by Martín Espada
Gary Soto recommends A Mayan Astronomer in Hell’s Kitchen, poems by Martín Espada: “Martín Espada is a courageous poet who champions with grace the working class, the disheveled, the outcast, the ignored, and the imprisoned-all without sentiment. He gets better with every collection.” (Norton)
-
Immortal Sofa by Maura Stanton
Maura Stanton, Immortal Sofa, poems: In poems both humorous and elegaic, Maura Stanton gathers strange facts, odd events, and overlooked stories to construct her own vision of immortality. (Illinois)
-
Some Fun by Antonya Nelson
Antonya Nelson, Some Fun, stories: The seven stories and novella in this witty, taut, and provocative collection prove to be a timely inventory of the state of family in America. (Scribner)
-
Midnights by Jane Miller
C. D. Wright recommends Midnights, by Jane Miller: “An absorbing performance of art taken to the brink. There is nothing prosaic about Midnights. No one is simply cooking carrots; rather all of its parts contribute to a gestalt of living, loving and losing in a reel of feeling that nonetheless attains a bracing lucidity. This…
-
Save the Last Dance by Gerald Stern
Gerald Stern, Save the Last Dance, poems: Stern’s latest is an intimate, yet always universal and surprising, book that’s rich with humor and insight. (Norton)