(Reaktion) Review by David Starkey Compare an accomplished short poem of several hundred characters—say Seamus Heaney’s “Wedding Day”—with just about any concrete poem of the same length, and you’ll quickly…
Category: Poetry
Poetry Book Reviews for the Holidays
by David Starkey Since 2014, first for the Santa Barbara Independent and then for the California Review of Books, every National Poetry Month, I’ve offered one very short review of…
All Possible Histories, by Sonia Greenfield
Review by Catherine Abbey Hodges One morning when my daughter was twelve, I became aware of her studying me. After a few moments, she said, “I wonder what it’s like…
The FSG Poetry Anthology Edited by Jonathan Galassi and Robyn Creswell
Review by David Starkey While no single publisher can, or should be, held responsible for bringing out all the important poetry in a country as diverse as ours, an argument…
Foundlings by DeWitt Henry
Review by Jack Smith Essayist, memoirist, fiction writer, prize-winning novelist, and founder and editor of Ploughshares, DeWitt Henry has gained a solid reputation for his contributions to several literary forms,…
Moments of Happiness by Niels Hav
Translated from the Danish by Per Brask & Patrick Friesen Review by Walter Cummins In his Afterword, Niels Hav writes, “Poetry’s first duty is to be an intimate talk with…
Cuttings from the Tangle by Richard Buckner
Review by George Yatchisin Richard Buckner, songwriter, singer, can open a song with the lines “Tough is as she does, won’t you slump on over and stir my shuffle down,”…
2021 Poetry Month Reviews: April 22-30
by David Starkey Back in 2014, when I was reviewing books for the Santa Barbara Independent, I proposed an offbeat idea to my editor. I would offer one very short…
2021 Poetry Month Reviews: April 15 -21
By David Starkey Back in 2014, when I was reviewing books for the Santa Barbara Independent, I proposed an offbeat idea to my editor. I would offer one very short…
2021 Poetry Month Reviews: April 8 -14
By David Starkey Back in 2014, when I was reviewing books for the Santa Barbara Independent, I proposed an offbeat idea to my editor. I would offer one very short…