Legitimate Dangers: American Poets of the New Century

Just over six years since this was published, so I hauled it down again. Whether it will be seen as generation-defining a generation from now, who knows, but at this point I would say Marvin & Dumanis made some awfully good calls -- people whose work since this anthology has been very strong. Srikanth Reddy, Joanna Klink, Matthew Zapruder, Arielle Greenberg, Julianne Spahr, Joshua Beckmann, Ben Doyle, Noelle Kocot--not to forget my own chief favorite, G. C. Waldrep. Even one of the dedicatees is freshly acclaimed; Amber Dermont is the author of novel-of-the-season The Starboard Sea. With 85 poets I suppose one is bound to hit a few winners, but I would say their batting average is looking very handsome at the moment.

Great Condition!

Nothing could be more obvious in reading reviews of a book that's barely hit the bookstores (and probably a half dozen bookstores at that) that those attacking it are jealous poets whipping themselves in a fury because they haven't been invited to join the party.Well, I've looked at the book, and it has many good moments. Having said that, I'm not especially optimistic about the future of American poetry if these are the poets we can expect to see a lot more of in coming years. But that's just my taste, and maybe they'll get better. I was relieved, at least, not to see the mountains upon mountains of unreadable post-modern word-puzzles and jokey free-associations that seem to dominate so many of the literary journals and other books out there.I have no illusion that this book really represents anything but a small segment of the younger poets working these days, and I see no reason why an editor shouldn't cobble together a sample of work by their friends and publish it if that's what they feel like doing. At least the editors aren't lazy.

It should come as no surprise that a book called Legitimate Dangers would have a somewhat volatile effect. The world of poetry can often be a craven, petty, and divisive little industry, where people are more interested in attacking a new anthology than editing their own or actually writing a few good poems themselves. As someone who isn't part of any poetry coterie or underworld but who consumes as many books of poetry a year as I can stomach, I actually purchased this anthology and read it.Many of the poems in here are fantastic. While the writers assembled have diverse aesthetic preferences (from the jazzy to the more formal, from the punky and edgy to the eloquent and mellifluous), for the most part, the poems themselves are meditative, lush, unsettling, and ambitious. Why pick on this particular anthology of younger poets and not another one? Have you read the book or are you merely disappointed that your friend's name isn't on the table of contents? William James said, "A great many people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices." How many other anthologies are out there who are equally eager to introduce the general readership to the avant-garde stylings of Joshua Beckman, Christine Hume, Lisa Jarnot, and Joyelle McSweeney and to the clearly more traditional poems of Rick Barot, Spencer Reece, and Greg Williamson in the same volume?This is not a comprehensive, democratic anthology, and it shouldn't be--it's already 500 pages long for crying out loud. If you read this book, chances are you'll discover some poems you like more than others. I did. That's true of any collection. This one happens to be filled to the brim with beautiful new writing. Is that such a bad thing?

This is a beautiful-looking book, and I'm glad, because I can't put it down and have been carrying it around with me for two days and reading a new poet every chance I get.Because I'm sort of new to reading and writing poetry, I can't pretend like I understand everything I have read in here, but the poems I like best make me question how I know what I know about them and what I feel after I've read them. I think a good poem is one that makes me react in a visceral way to it, like, A. Van Jordan's "Kind of Blue" or Major Jackson's "Euphoria." These poems make me think about things they don't mention, like darkness, cold, alienation, and despair, but also are often funny, warm, and occasionally sexy. To be honest, I do struggle to understand some of the poems, yet each feels important to the anthology as a whole.Just because I don't "get" it immediately doesn't lessen its worth; it just makes me want to read it again. For instance, when I'm done with this review, I'm going to reread "The Elegant Tongue" by Terrance Hayes.Every literary occasion will have its detractors, but I'm grateful to have the chance to read so many poems by writers I hadn't heard of before and will never forget.

I just got a copy of this book this morning and I've been reading it all day: all my favorite younger poets are here, including Pimone Triplett, Andrew Feld, Robin Schiff, and Major Jackson, and a lot of other interesting folk I hadn't heard of before. Just read an absolutely chilling love poem by Josh Bell, who is a new name for me. My first reaction is I couldn't recommend this anthology more highly. I love that David Berman from the Silver Jews has poems in here.

I'm not sure how mikemike defines a Hispanic or Latino poet, but Richard Blanco was born in Spain and is of Cuban descent, Monica de la Torre was born in Mexico City and came to America in 1993, and Sabrina Orah Mark was born in Mexico. This is all in author bio notes in the book. You should do a little fact-checking before you start making accusations.

Finally, an anthology that takes a long hard look at the work of a new generation of poets. This is a handsome book showcasing a mix of writers. Some long established like Natasha Trethewey, Kevin Young, and Nick Flynn. Others including Monica De La Torre and Sherwin Bitsui are on the rise. I especially love the author photos--who doesn't want to know what these writers look like. It'll make it easier for me to spot them at AWP. Sarabande should be commended.

This is a stunning collection. If you like American poetry, or think you might, prepare to be dazzled. The only criticism I have of the anthology is the pretty much redundant CV that comes with each poet -- in which one is told the nitty gritty details of where they studied and where they teach. Since they are 95 per cent professors of creative writing, it rather wastes space. It would have been more interesting for each poet to have had a brief critical introduction, or if they'd been asked to say a few words themselves. Anyway, a constant source of delight and inspiration.