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In couplets for a shrinking world John Medeiros has created a large and complicated world for his readers to live in. A generous book, a generous poet. How many ways can we learn about desire? How many images do we need to think and feel in new and confounding ways about love, illness, mortality, and beauty? Medeiros gives us abundance in this collection: abundance of forms to hold the abundance of his thoughts and feelings, abundance of image and partial narratives where we feel him asking: do you see what I mean? Can you see through my eyes and words the soulful, struggling, blessed life of a gay man making his way through the forests of love and loss, of medicines and fear, of heritage and the deep pleasures of being an American artist? This is a book that allows the reader to settle in. We settle in to the life and imagination of our poet-guide. We are his faithful readers. And couplets for a shrinking world rewards our faithful attention to this poet's extraordinary first collection of poetry. May John Medeiros write many more books. I will be waiting to read them all. —Deborah Keenan, Author of eight collections of poetry, most recently, Willow Room, Green Door: New and Selected Poems, Milkweed Editions.
RebeccaFrost
Posted June 25, 2012
In couplets for a shrinking world, John Medeiros demonstrates a poetics that renders the underlying mathematics of pain, poison, and pathos. Reminiscent of the beauty in his nonfiction, the elegance of his mind, and his affection for formal mapmaking, shine through in this collection. These poems reflect timeless tensions in the faces of contemporary tragedies, and then crack the mirror to refresh the image.
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Posted June 20, 2012
Stunning portrait of pain and survival ... once immersed in the words, it's hard to pull away ....
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Posted June 19, 2012
As a memoirist and a poet, John Medeiros has a way of making lyrical narrative accessible to a general audience. Before reading Mr. Medeiros's work, I was not much of a fan of poetry. His writing cracked this elusive form of literature open for me, and taught me to read it with the heart vs. the crude intellect. I would highly recommend this collection of poems for any reader!
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Posted June 19, 2012
John Medeiros' poetry is, like all wonderful poetry, full of specific details. He lets us into a world of brave lovers, vulnerable seekers, identical twins, grieving believers, all the while delighting us with witty, observant, passionate verse. I had the pleasure of hearing him read "Couplets for a Shrinking World" aloud and have gone back to the book many times to relive the moment.
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Posted June 19, 2012
A beautiful collection of poetry that evokes a range of emotions...I find myself frequently returning to the book to reread his poems, each time finding new meaning in his thought provoking prose. Couplets For a Shrinking World will move you.
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Posted July 16, 2012
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Overview
In couplets for a shrinking world John Medeiros has created a large and complicated world for his readers to live in. A generous book, a generous poet. How many ways can we learn about desire? How many images do we need to think and feel in new and confounding ways about love, illness, mortality, and beauty? Medeiros gives us abundance in this collection: abundance of forms to hold the abundance of his thoughts and feelings, abundance of image and partial narratives where we feel him asking: do you see what I ...