Valley of the Many-Colored Grasses
Newly restored to print, Ronald Johnson’s third book of poetry shows the poet consolidating the strengths of his earlier work while foreshadowing his epic poem ARK.
Reviewed by Ross Hair
Poetry Reviews
Quarantine Highway
Millicent Borges Accardi’s new book, written in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, shows how poetry matters during a time of crisis.
Reviewed by Hilary Sideris
Old Love Skin
Old Love Skin, an anthology edited by the Zimbabwean poet Nyashadzashe Chikumbu, sets up a discussion between modern problems and the puzzles of old Africa.
Reviewed by Mbizo Chirasha
Two Poets of the American Now
Franny Choi (The World Keeps Ending, and the World Goes On) and Courtney Faye Taylor (Concentrate) are two compelling poets who succeed in capturing the pulse of our fraught political moment.
Reviewed by Walter Holland
Water Has Many Colors
From epics to succinct one-liners, Kiriti Sengupta suits his poetic form to the subject, just as the titular folk idiom reminds us that water takes shape from the container in which it is held. Reviewed by Malashri Lal
How to Communicate
John Lee Clark hasn’t just put his life into verse and prose poems; he’s felt and manipulated and explored and expanded what poetry in English can do. Reviewed by Stephanie Burt
Two New Translations of Max Jacob's Poetry
These new translations of two of Max Jacob’s major collections should be recognized as welcome and essential. Reviewed by Patrick James Dunagan
psalmbook
In her new book, Laura Walker manages to preserve a sense of prayer while also reshaping the psalm into something new—a significant literary achievement. Reviewed by John Bradley
Alive at the End of the World
Alive at the End of the World is the work of a maturing poet, and perhaps a transitional work: the already-accomplished Saeed Jones has moved from the subject of his boyhood to the volatile racist politics of the here and now, as well as his worries for the future. Reviewed by Walter Holland