Certainly couldn’t afford to, but this past week I decided to reread the poetry books I keep rereading. Trying to think of why I keep coming back to these volumes, I realized that I was thinking too much. Let’s just say riveting narrative, muscle, muscle, muscle, guts. Let’s say porch stories, inherent music. Let’s say I’m a creature of habit.
For the record (not in the order I crave them, but in the order I picked them up):
Sherry Fairchok, The Palace of Ashes
June Jordan, Haruko/Love Poems
Stephen Dobyns, Velocities
Rafael Campo, The Other Man was Me: A Voyage to the New World
Tyehimba Jess, Leadbelly
Steve Davenport, Uncontainable Noise
Diane Ackerman, Jaguar of Sweet Laughter
Elizabeth Alexander, Venus Hottentot
Roger Fanning, The Island Itself
Jan Beatty, Boneshaker
Richard Wright, Haiku: This Other World
Lydia Melvin, South of Here
Sharon Olds, Strike Sparks
Roger Bonair-Agard, Tarnish and Masquerade
Remica Bingham, Conversion
Douglas Goetsch, Nobody’s Hell
Kwame Dawes, Wisteria
Frank X Walker, Buffalo Dance
Tony Gloeggler, One Wish Left
And what a week it was. I hope this list will pique your curiosity, spark a discussion, at the very least lead you to check out and discover a poet you didn’t know before. Questions and conversation welcome. Post your own can’t-resist list!
Happy summer perusing.
Seacrest. Out.
New “Can’t Resist” Poet: Juan Felipe Herrera
Posted By: oscar on August 9, 2007 at 4:27 pmA friend gave me Giraffe on Fire for my birthday and I just could not find a way in but the language in the poems was definitely calling me so I picked up Border-Crosser With a Lamborghini Dream and fell in love with Herrera’s work.
Really looking forward to reading his next volume 187 Reasons Mexicans Can’t Cross the Border
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hey o
Posted By: patricia on August 9, 2007 at 5:49 pmi’m on the case, checking mr. herrera out. even his titles are intriguing…
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Thanks, Patricia, that’s a compliment of the highest order.
Posted By: Remica on August 10, 2007 at 8:36 amHere’s my short “can’t resist” list of late:
Aracelis Girmay, Teeth
Bob Hicok, This Clumsy Living
Martha Collins, Blue Front
Tim Seibles, Hurdy-Gurdy
August Wilson, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone
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Lists I do adore.
Posted By: khadijah on August 10, 2007 at 12:23 pmDon’t Let Me Be Lonely, Claudia Rankine
Glass, Irony & God, Anne Carson
Dien Cai Dau, Yusef Komunyakaa
Dark Sky Question, Larissa Szporluk
My Sweet Unconditional, ariel robello
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Again with the titles: “Glass, Irony & God.” Geez.
Posted By: patricia on August 11, 2007 at 12:36 amReport this comment
The Book I keep revisiting:
Posted By: Mozart on August 11, 2007 at 7:19 pmLisel Mueller Alive Together: New and Selected Poems (1996, poetry)
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Sharon Olds, Strike Sparks (me too, this week!)
Posted By: Marie-Elizabeth Mali on August 11, 2007 at 8:47 pmMartín Espada, Alabanza
Mark Doty, Atlantis
Marie Howe, What the Living Do
Mary Karr, Sinners Welcome
Stephen Dunn, Different Hours and The Insistence of Beauty
Kim Addonizio, Tell Me
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Wow, Patricia, and I thought I was nearing the end of my summer reading list.
Posted By: Steve Davenport on August 11, 2007 at 10:20 pmReport this comment