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“Unlike novelists and bad-boy memoirists, emerging poets are
unlikely to sprawl on Oprah’s couch, date starlets, or rouse bidding
wars. With an alert ear for new voices, this anthology offers
a different kind of validation: that of being well heard. The
result is a vibrant smorgasbord. . . . [Best New Poets]
bears evidence of the insistent inquiries of self and the world
that drive poetry.” “[One] comes to realize that the adjectives ‘new’ and ‘emerging’ are mere
technicalities in this instance. Although none of the poets included
here have published a full-length book of poetry, many are MFA
students or graduates, and chapbook authors, and most have already
seen some of their poems published in the most renowned and exclusive
journals in North America. . . . The result is a remarkably diverse
mix of poems.” "It's a nervy thing for an anthology to label itself Best
New Poets, but once again this collection lives up to its
name. It's a rich and readable selection, reflecting no party-line
aesthetic, and attesting to the formidable promise of the emerging
generation." In just three years Best New Poets has established itself as a crucial venue for rising poets and a valuable resource for poetry lovers. The only publication of its kind, this annual anthology is made up exclusively of work by writers who have not yet published a full-length book. The poems included in this eclectic sampling represent the best from the many that have been nominated by the country’s top literary magazines and writing programs, as well as some two thousand additional poems submitted through an open online competition. The work of the fifty writers represented here provides the best perspective available on the continuing vitality of poetry as it’s being practiced today. Distributed for the Samovar Press in cooperation with Meridian: The Semi-Annual from the University of Virginia Former Poet Laureate of the United States, Mark Strand is Professor of English at Columbia University. His many honors include a MacArthur Fellowship and the Pulitzer Prize. His most recent book is New Selected Poems. |
The University of
Virginia Press