The Best American Poetry 1995

by David Lehman (Editor)

Overview

The Best American Poetry 1995 once again highlights the dazzling spectrum of style and subject matter to be found in the art today. Guest editor Richard Howard's accent is on discovery and surprise, and he has gleaned the most inventive and searching writing from a wide variety of literary journals. The themes and imagery here are indisputably "American," as our best poets continue to mine personal as well as communal experience for their work. Now in its eighth year, this series has established itself as a rich and vibrant source of new poetry — celebrated in bookstores and on college campuses. Welcome, once again, the memorable voices and unique pleasures of Best American Poetry.
Featuring:
Margaret Atwood
Sally Ball
Catherine Bowman
Stephanie Brown
Lewis Buzbee
Cathleen Calbert
Rafael Campo
William Carpenter
Nicholas Christopher
Jane Cooper
James Cummins
Olena Kalytiak Davis
Lynn Emanuel
Elaine Equi
Irving Feldman
Donald Finkel
Aaron Fogel
Richard Frost
Allen Ginsberg
Peter Gizzi
Jody Gladding
Elton Glaser
Albert Goldbarth
Beckian Fritz Goldberg
Laurence Goldstein
Barbara Guest
Marilyn Hacker
Judith Hall
Anthony Hecht
Edward Hirsch
Janet Holmes
Andrew Hudgins
T.R. Hummer
Brigit Pegeen Kelly
Karl Kirchwey
Carolyn Kizer
Wayne Koestenbaum
John Koethe
Yusef Komunyakaa
Maxine Kumin
Lisa Lewis
Rachel Loden
Robert Hill Long
James Longenbach
Gail Mazur
J. D. McClatchy
Heather McHugh
Susan Musgrave
Charles North
Geoffrey O'Brien
Jacqueline Osherow
Molly Peacock
Carl Phillips
Marie Ponsot
Bin Ramke
Katrina Roberts
Michael J. Rosen
Kay Ryan
Mary Jo Salter
Tony Sanders
Stephen Sandy
Grace Schulman
Robyn Selman
Alan Shapiro
Reginald Shepherd
Anglea Sorby
Laurel Trivelpiece
Paul Violi
Arthur Vogelsang
David Wagoner
Charles H. Webb
Ed Webster
David Wojahn
Jay Wright
Stephen Yenser

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780684801513
Publisher:	Scribner
Publication date:	09/15/1995
Series:	Best American Poetry Series
Edition description:	Original
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

David Lehman, the series editor of The Best American Poetry, edited The Oxford Book of American Poetry. His books of poetry include The Morning Line, When a Woman Loves a Man, and The Daily Mirror. The most recent of his many nonfiction books is The Mysterious Romance of Murder: Crime, Detection, and the Spirit of Noir. He lives in New York City and Ithaca, New York.

Editorial Reviews

Howard's selection of 75 poems for this annual series edited by David Lehman will delight fans of formal traditions but may disappoint readers looking for poetry of socially conscious engagement, L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E-school experimentation or non-white experience. While the works range widely in subject, in style the influence of New Formalism is pervasive-a cerebral tone and Latinate word choice give many poems a self-conscious, overwritten feel. Painful subjects, such as breast cancer, are often buried in obscure references that distance emotional response; even poems drawing from pop culture demonstrate an insular aspect. Where formal constraint combines with authentic voice, we are rewarded with powerful works: the radical brilliance of Molly Peacock, Grace Schulman's intelligent tenderness and David Wojahn's complex insight. J.D. McClatchy addresses mortality with candor and humor in ``My Mammogram,'' and Rafael Campo infuses biting political indictment with personal sorrow in ``The Battle Hymn of the Republic.'' A brief commentary by each of the writers on his/her poem gives a captivating glimpse into the writer's mind and an index lists poems and poets represented in the previous seven volumes of the series. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

In an attempt to induce the "gratification of surprise," Howard (Like Most Revelations, LJ 1/94) changes the rules that governed earlier volumes of this annual collection, excluding work by all prior editors and those poets who appear in the series more than three times. But his choice of the best poems published last year in magazines-drawn heavily from the Yale, Paris, and Western Humanities reviews, two of which Howard edits-makes few concessions to literary ecumenism, evincing instead an editorial preference for rhyme, traditional poetic frames, accessible narratives, and rich diction. The result is a gallery of impressive technical accomplishment, marred slightly by several overly long, self-indulgent monologs. Fine poems by Nicholas Christopher on Bosnia and Rafael Campo on gays in the military provide contemporary interest, but the best treats come from the unheralded fringes: Lisa Lewis's tough and savvy "Bridget"; the spare, thought-tilting resonance of Geoffrey O'Brien's "The Interior Prisoner"; and Paul Violi's effusive, unpredictably strange "Scatter." Recommended for large poetry collections.-Fred Muratori, Cornell Univ. Lib., Ithaca, N.Y.

Library Journal

YA-New poetry by contemporary poets, collected from a wide variety of literary journals. The contributors include recognized writers such as Margaret Atwood, Allen Ginsberg, and Molly Peacock. The book ends with contributor's notes that include some biographical information and comments about their poems.

School Library Journal

An anthology of modern American poetry, highlighting the 75 best poems of the year. Themes include personal and communal experience, and social issues such as war, urban violence, and gays in the military. Includes notes and comments from contributors, and a list of literary magazines where the poems were first published. This year's edition contains more newcomers and more women contributors than previous editions. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews