All the Lavish in Common: Poems (Juniper Prize for Poetry) [Paperback]

Allan Peterson (Author)

Book Description

Series: Juniper Prize for Poetry | Publication Date: April 2006

Winner of the 2005 Juniper Prize for Poetry.

These poems remind us that we are all in the thick of things, the rich and complicated givens. Moving fluently from subjects as diverse as the surface of Europa to a tiny spider in a tear of wallpaper, from Pythagoras at Tyre to the wings of a dragonfly, they are in love with the world and the deep seriousness of living. Often lavish themselves, they reflect that fact that the author is a visual artist as well as a poet of insightful and sustained imagination.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. From out of left field, or rather north Florida, comes a smart and mature second collection. Peterson's sinuous lines and careful sentences imagine the perspective of dogs, "The Need to Explain," "The Appeal of Antiques" and the melancholy fascinations of everyday life: "the calf in the pasture/ that became a flowered purse." Peterson (Anonymous Or, 2002) tracks the vicissitudes, oddities and noteworthy tangents of a contemporary household with originality: he cares not just for how things look or for how we feel, but for the ways in which our habits make us make mistakes about ourselves and about the people with whom we share our lives. A southern landscape and a midwestern childhood inform the poems; so does an interest in middle age. Yet biography lies far under the crenellated surfaces of these poems, which gradually bring their topics into view, as readers learn to piece together Peterson's similes, cognitive leaps, odd ideas: "Duration is like blood to time, the river in which it swims." "Often as moss I stare at my hands in amazement," the poet confesses, "at the what I'm made of"; readers who seek challenge might be amazed, too. (June)
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Review

"This is a great book from out of nowhere. . . . And it's frickin' amazing." -- Craig Morgan Teicher, http://slickerschumways.blogspot.com

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Product Details

• Paperback: 74 pages
• Publisher: Univ of Massachusetts Pr (April 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558495266
• ISBN-13: 978-1558495265
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 6.9 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,277,516 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Allan Peterson is a poet and visual artist whose writing has appeared widely in print and online literary journals for over twenty years. His prize-winning collections, "All the Lavish in Common" (2005 Juniper Prize, University of Massachusetts), and Anonymous Or" (2001 Defined Providence Prize) are accompanied by six chapbooks, most recently, "Omnivore." from Bateau Press in 2009. A recipient of fellowships from The National Endowment for the Arts and The State of Florida, he divides his time between Gulf Breeze, Florida and Ashland, Oregon. www.allanpeterson.net

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Out of Left Field, February 6, 2010

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C. Moss "lotzsahgoodbooks" - See all my reviews
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This review is from: All the Lavish in Common: Poems (Juniper Prize for Poetry) (Paperback)

From out of left field, or rather north Florida, comes a smart and mature second collection. Peterson's sinuous lines and careful sentences imagine the perspective of dogs, "The Need to Explain," "The Appeal of Antiques" and the melancholy fascinations of everyday life: "the calf in the pasture/ that became a flowered purse." Peterson (Anonymous Or, 2002) tracks the vicissitudes & , oddities.
More noteworthy tangents of a contemporary household with originality: he cares not just for how things look or for how we feel, but for the ways in which our habits make us make mistakes about ourselves and about the people with whom we share our lives. A southern landscape and a midwestern childhood inform the poems; so does an interest in middle age. Yet biography lies far under the crenellated surfaces of these poems, which gradually bring their topics into view, as readers learn to piece together Peterson's similes, cognitive leaps, odd ideas: "Duration is like blood to time, the river in which it swims." "Often as moss I stare at my hands in amazement," the poet confesses, "at the what I'm made of"; readers who seek challenge might be amazed, too