Apr 8, 2008
22 contemporary poets worth reading if you think there's no good poetry written nowadays.
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(Guest post from Karsten Piper)
These poets are writing with the beating muscle and translucent beauty that’s often missing from church libraries and waiting room magazine piles.
1. Scott Cairns ( “Adventures in New Testament Greek: Nous)
2. Lucille Clifton (“oh antic God“)
3. B.H. Fairchild (“Early Occult Memory Systems of the Lower Midwest“)
4. Carolyn Forche (“The Memory of Elena“)
5. Tony Hoagland ( “America“)
6. Andrew Hudgins (“Blur“)
7. Mary Karr (“Descending Theology: The Resurrection“)
8. Brigit Pegeen Kelly (“Song“)
9. Yusef Komunyakaa (“Reflections“)
10. Li-Young Lee (“Eating Together“)
11. Thomas Lux (“Render, Render“)
12. Naomi Shihab Nye (“Blood“)
13. Mary Oliver (“White-Eyes“)
14. Don Paterson (“Luing“)
15. Jack Prelutsky(“A Wolf Is at the Laundromat“)
16. Michael Symmons Roberts (“Jairus“)
17. Kay Ryan (“All Shall Be Restored“)
18. Charles Simic (“Fork“)
19. Cathy Song (“Heaven“)
20. A.E. Stallings (“Four Fibs“)
21. Franz Wright (“The Face“)
22. Adam Zagajewski (“Self-Portrait“)
* * * * *
Thanks, Abraham for letting me flog a whole list of poets. Why these?
B.H. Fairchild, for his tough calluses and faint odor of machine oil. Don Paterson, for his sonnetivity. Thomas Lux, for the things he’s unafraid to reach in the bag and touch with all ten fingers. Mary Karr, for her purity of heart (nobody in Matthew 5 blessed the ones with a clamp-jawed internal censor…). Jack Prelutsky, for the picture books he makes us want to illustrate. Li-Young Lee for loving his father and mother. And so on.
Anyone else have recent favorites?
Karsten
Franz Wright’s father, James, is excellent. His collection The Branch Will Not Break is one of my favorites. I actually gave that collection to a pastor at my church recently. James Wright has a way of capturing a scene of great beauty in a tight, precise way that is a joy to read.
We just read The Wild Iris by Louise Gluck in my poetry class, that was interesting. The book is written in three different voices – that of a person observing a garden, from the plants in the garden, and from the perspective of God observing it.
Ted Kooser is another one of my favorites, for his simplicity and beautiful descriptions. (I’m taking classes at the University of Nebraska, where he teaches, so we hear about him all the time. I think most the praise is deserved too, he’s excellent.) I also enjoyed Galway Kinnel, who I think you (Karsten) may have written about.
A hearty thank you! I’ve been in need of such a list.
I’ve always found William Carlos Williams & John Donne to be dependable..
Many, many thanks. I look forward to exploring the authors.
After studying creative writing at a state university for four years i’ve gained a yearning for well-crafted writing, but am always desperate for recommendations.
Thank God for the Truth poetry brings to light like nothing else can.
I would add Karsten Piper to the list.
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That’s a pretty amazing collection you’ve drawn. I haven’t read any of these before. Thanks for opening the window. Happy poetry month.
Nice list you put together here. I want to take this opportunity to introduce you to a new web site solely dedicated to Visual Poetry. Check it out and spread the word about this new evolving art form http://www.PoetryVisualized.com
Hey, thanks for the comments!
To the trackback above–what’s that word “rare” doing in your title? And, Dana, very flattering, but that’s why I’m making the list. :-)
Really good suggestions, Jake. James Wright would certainly be on the list if he was still alive.
As the plump squirrel scampers
Across the roof of the corncrib
The moon suddenly stands up in the darkness And I see that it is impossible to die.
Each moment of time is a mountain.
An eagle rejoices in the oak trees of heaven,
Crying
This is what I wanted.
Has anyone seen the midwest as tenderly?
For something a bit edgy try Robert Bruce at http://knifegunpen.com
Thanks so much for putting this list together!
Hi Karsten,
This is a neat list. I haven’t really enjoyed reading poetry (except for the Bible) in years, but your poetry, actually, began to draw me back in when your dad posted a couple of your poems. I clicked one of the links you posted above which took me to a poem called “Render, Render” by Thomas Lux (which reminded me of your “Luke 18.25″, which I still think is one of the most powerful and moving poems I’ve ever read.)
So thanks again…I think we need poetry, and it’s nice to have a resource for finding the good stuff.
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Love Andrew Hudgins. I teach 9th grade, and was able to sneak him in the back door of the curriculum. His poem “One threw a dirt clod and it ran” is probably the single most disturbing (and morally rich) poem I have ever read.
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A wonderful list, indeed. I agree that Louise Gluck’s collection The Wild Iris would be a solid addition, as would anything by Denise Levertov. Maurice Manning’s latest book, Bucolics, is also an interesting read, as is Aaron Baker’s Mission Work (he is the son of missionaries in Papua New Guinea). John Poch is another young Christian poet worth checking out. However, and please correct me if I’m wrong, no one has mentioned Richard Wilbur, who is widely regarded to be the most important Christian poet, post WWII. Thanks, cheers, and happy National Poetry Month!
Thanks for this list, Karsten . . . and Abraham for inviting it. It’s nice to see Scott Cairns topping the list. I’ve loved his work for years and finally mustered the courage to teach him in my English 101 class this semester; thankfully, the students have enjoyed the poems, if they’ve had to be pushed and prodded to get the biblical allusions (sigh).
As for Wilbur, indeed an important poet, but also of an older school. He is, perhaps, the last of his generation–his peers Hecht, Milosz, and Justice having only lately passed away. But that’s hardly the point. He is certainly to be read, and often. And especially by anyone claiming to practice the craft of poetry.
abraham and karsten
much thanks for providing the list; to all:
take a gander at Wislawa Szymborska, and remember Wendell Berry.
Amen to Wendell Berry.
Have any of you seen the fairly new Christian literary magazine called Ruminate? It includes art, poetry, fiction and essays. One of the latest published a piece by Frederick Buechner and poems by Luci Shaw. I like how it speaks to the complexity of faith, withholding simplistic fare.
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thanks so much enjoyed the post and added a few of these to my amazon book wish list. have to say charles wright should be on that list; scar tissue will blow your mind.
I would add Richard Wilbur “things of this world”
I’m taking a poetry class right now with Thomas Lux. He’s incredibly awesome as a person and I definitely recommend his poetry.
Wow. Thanks for this list!!!
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