Photograph by Fred R. Conrad, New York Times
You know, for all that I don't like about the revamped NYT Book Review, every once in a while, they get something right. (Say, didn't I write about this last week?) Case in point (#2, if you're counting), this past Sunday's issue. I'm not too excited about more extended reviews of major genre fiction authors, and more emphasis on nonfiction over fiction, but a poetry issue? With reviews of new Rita Dove, Gary Snyder, and Czeslaw Milosz? A Featured "Poetry Symposium" with contributions from Yusef Komunyakaa, Jim Harrison, Deborah Garrison, Paul Muldoon, John Ashbery and Jorie Graham? Sign me up! Get me knocking on doors! Are you a registered voter? Let me tell you about my candidate, the poetry issue!
I spend a lot of time complaining about contemporary poetry, mostly in essence, that there's too much of it, and that it's impossible to find the good stuff in the sea of crap, but thank you, Review, for reminding me where the good stuff is. I'll even forgive you for letting Harold Bloom sit in on your symposium.
Rock on, Review! Thank you for being my boat in the sea of crap!
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