Poetry

Buzzed Books #76 by Will Rincon Because Everything is Terrible by Paul Guest Paul Guest’s fourth poetry collection, Because Everything is Terrible, wastes no time pulling the reader into his world. “First this happened: you woke in a dim glade, / pine trees leaning in, all around.” The twenty-two-page opening poem, “After Damascus” is broken into thirteen… Continue reading

Buzzed Books #71 by Will Rincon James Longenbach’s Earthling Few poetry collections can connect with both poetry aficionados and newcomers alike the way Earthling does. Professor and critic, James Longenbach exemplifies contemporary poetry with his fifth collection, one that draws readers in with simplicity into the themes of childhood, mothers, and nihilism. The speakers of these poems… Continue reading

Buzzed Books #70 by Amy Watkins Pulse/Pulso: In Remembrance of Orlando, edited by Roy G. Guzmán and Miguel M. Morales In the aftermath of tragedy, there’s poetry. I don’t know if that’s a universal truth, but it looks like one. Gregory Orr says that poetry exists at the threshold, which is why we feel compelled… Continue reading

Buzzed Books #68 by Freesia McKee Adrienne Rich’s Selected Poems: 1950-2012 When I was a 19-year-old gender studies major, I took my first poetry class. Writing my first burgeoning poems, I tried to connect my lived experiences to what I was learning about feminism. Mid-semester, I had an individual conference with the professor. He asked… Continue reading

Buzzed Books #67 by Freesia McKee Adrienne Rich’s Essential Essays: Culture, Politics, and the Art of Poetry In college, I learned as a gender studies major that feminism encourages us to understand our lives in the context of larger social movements. Situating our experiences within larger trends helps sustain emotional and psychological survival. Adrienne Rich’s Essential… Continue reading