10 Poetry Books of 2011

I'd say "top ten," except I'm not sure I like that phrase - I'm constitutionally averse to "tops," "bests," or even favorites (remember the scene in Annie Hall where Alvy is making fun of the Oscars? "Greatest Facsist Dictator - Adolph Hitler!").

But I did read some books of poetry in 2011, and, um, these ones were good. I can recommend them, anyhow. In no particular order. And I'm sure I'll remember others after I post this - at which point, it will be 2012, and so, against the rules.

- Rae Armantrout, Money Shot
- Evie Shockley, the new black
- Tim Bradford, Nomads with Samsonite
- Camille Dungy, Smith Blue
- Matthew Cooperman, Still: of the earth as the ark which does not move
- Kathleen Ossip, The Cold War
- Lea Graham, Hough & Helix (&c. &c.)
- Hejinian and Harryman, The Wide Road
- Cyrus Console, The Odicy
- TinFish Retro Chaps Series

And, perhaps more to the point - my backlog: books from 2011 I have yet to read but am looking forward to:

- Memory Cards, 2010-2011, Susan M. Schultz
- Schizophrene, Bhanu Kapil
- Birds of Tifft, Jonathan Skinner
- Culture of One, Alice Notley
- Man Years, Sandra Doller
- not merely because of the unknown that was stalking toward them, Jenny Boully
- the volume of “collage” Drafts by Rachel Blau DuPlessis
- Pushing Water, by Charles Alexander

Happy New Year - Occupy 2012!

Do Tell . . .

Many thanks to Reb Livingston, Evie Shockley, and Tim Bradford for selecting my book Things Come On (an amneoir) as one of the best poetry books of 2011, over at No Tells. They picked a lot of great books for their lists.

Also - do check out Evie's the new black (Wesleyan 2011), Tim's Nomads with Samsonite (BlazeVox 2011), and Reb's God Damsel (No Tell Books 2010). You'll be glad you did!

Denise Low's top 12

Thanks to former KS poet laureate (and current AWP Prez) Denise Low for including my book Things Come On in her "top 12 poetry books of 2011"!

More Lawrence, Kansas Literary History

This from a NYT article re: Ira Silverberg, new NEA literary director:

Mr. Silverberg got his first glimpse of the publishing world while still in college—enrolled not in an English literature program but in a joint six-year B.A./J.D. program offered by City College and New York Law School, which trained lawyers to work in underserved communities. But Mr. Silverberg’s career as a lawyer was short lived. At 18, over a drink at a bar on Avenue A, he met and fell in love with James Grauerholz, William S. Burrough’s longtime “manager and amanuensis.” The romance led Mr. Silverberg to drop out of school, move to Kansas and immerse himself in a world of aging beat writers.

"William was my mother-in-law when I was quite young,” said Mr. Silverberg of Burroughs.

He enrolled at the University of Kansas, cooked dinner with Mr. Grauerholz for Burroughs every night and absorbed the wisdom of Alan Ginsberg and Norman Mailer when they passed through town. At a conference celebrating the 25th anniversary of Jack Kerouac’s On the Road at Naropa University in Boulder, Col., Mr. Silverberg met Peter Mayer, the founder of Overlook Press. When Mr. Silverberg’s sojourn in Kansas ended in 1984 and he returned to New York, Mr. Mayer gave him a job as a file clerk, then promoted him to editorial assistant.

Review by Aaron Belz

Thanks to Aaron Belz for reviewing my book for Ron Slate's On the Seawall! (scroll way, way down the page)