New Poetry Books, May 2010

Look back at the updated list of new poetry books from April.

Poetry publishing in May is a bit like church the week after Easter. No one shows up. After National Poetry Month, presses take a rest. Accordingly, this month sees only 37 new titles, less than half of April’s 86. To add to that, fewer new collections this month look interesting than in April – when not only the most books are published, but also some of the most high-profile.

Feel free to contact me with additions or corrections or to send review copies. Chad Post already covers new works in translation, so those efforts are not duplicated here.

The list: New Poetry Books, May 2010

A few that look especially interesting:

• Deborah Digges’ posthumous The Wind Blows Through the Doors of My Heart: Poems.  When she died last spring, Digges left this final collection of work. The title piece appeared in the New Yorker. Additionally, seven of her poems are featured at the Academy of American Poets.
• Dreamless and Possible: Poems New and Selected, by Christopher Howell.  University of Washington Press’ publicity page features the poem “Home is the Sailor.“
• Joanna Klink’s Raptus.  Her “Poetry” appeared in Jubilat as well as “I Would Remain by Night with You” in an issue of Boston Review.
• Ghost Lights, a debut from Keith Montesano. The poem “Long After the Flames” was reprinted on Verse Daily.
• Anne Waldman’s Matriot Acts. A 2005 edition of Jacket Magazine featured her work and a profile.

img/Paul Nash