Poetry. HOT SONNETS offers proof positive that rumors of the death of the sonnet have been greatly exagggerated. In fact, in the warm and capable hands of these practitioners, it's clear that the sonnet is still as relevant as a poem can be. Contributors include Kim Addonizio, Tony Barnstone, Sandra Beasley, John Berryman, Rafael Campo, Michael Cantor, Hayden Carruth, Grace Cavalieri, Thom Gunn, Marilyn Hacker, H.L. Hix, Julie Kane, Rose Kelleher, David Landrum, David Lehman, Quincy Lehr, Amy Lemmon, Laura Maffei, Leslie Monsour, Molly Peacock, Jessica Piazza, David Rothman, Michael Salcman, A.E. Stallings, Julie Stoner, Marilyn Taylor, David Trinidad, Katherine Varnes, Leley Wheeler, Terri Witek, and twenty-five others.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
I brought "Hot Sonnets", as a gift, to a poet's wedding last weekend. Think the best man may have needed it more than me but it proved its value during the toasts and what I expect to have occurred in the matrimonial bedroom. The premise Ms. Egan and Ms. Harriss publish from is correct; the sonnet is indefatigable, as persistent as the intrinsic arousal attached to our breath.
Speaking of breath this anthology spans writers of contemporary sonnets starting with likes of Millay and Berryman. It continues with a nude array of contemporary sonnets posing from sensual to playful, consummating our reading pleasure. Highlights include: Taylor's "#5. Geology": "How can I ever rise above the rubble/ of what you've done to me--stay out of trouble/when aftershocks will certainly betray us? A tougher question than I bargained for;/remember, I am molten at the core"(55) and Julie Stoner's, "Dear John (Drafts 1-4)", a Shakespearean sonnet with the concluding couplet reading: " Dear John--This isn't working. You know why./Go buy yourself a blow-up doll. Goodbye."(123). Although my absolute favorite are Tatyana Mishel's sonnets.
Mixing promiscuity and the vulgate with idealized love and form, "Hot Sonnets" belongs on every bedside table--assuring the routine of reading and lovemaking are never stale.
Speaking of breath this anthology spans writers of contemporary sonnets starting with likes of Millay and Berryman. It continues with a nude array of contemporary sonnets posing from sensual to playful, consummating our reading pleasure. Highlights include: Taylor's "#5. Geology": "How can I ever rise above the rubble/ of what you've done to me--stay out of trouble/when aftershocks will certainly betray us? A tougher question than I bargained for;/remember, I am molten at the core"(55) and Julie Stoner's, "Dear John (Drafts 1-4)", a Shakespearean sonnet with the concluding couplet reading: " Dear John--This isn't working. You know why./Go buy yourself a blow-up doll. Goodbye."(123). Although my absolute favorite are Tatyana Mishel's sonnets.
Mixing promiscuity and the vulgate with idealized love and form, "Hot Sonnets" belongs on every bedside table--assuring the routine of reading and lovemaking are never stale.
By Larry Levy
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Simply said, I could not put this book down. Read it twice through. A collection of talented writers and most importantly a great idea for a book - Hot Sonnets is a winner!
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In a world of all too free verse, what a treat to come across an anthology dedicated to that most formal of forms, the sonnet. Far from being dry experiments and exercises in rhyme and meter, these poems illustrate the flexibility of the sonnet, from Moira Egan's marvelously lubricious "Millay Goes Down," Michael Salcman's tenderly erotic "The Sulfurous Days of Summer," Clarinda Harriss's delightfully salacious "Talking Dirty," and on and on. Love has ever been one of the major themes of the sonnet, and these poems depict love in its many guises and forms. But there are also Marilyn L. Taylor's seven related sonnets, all embellishments on the Classical Curriculum, as defined by Plato and Aristotle. On a scale of 1 to 10, ten being the highest, I'd give this anthology a 12.
For a month or two every year or so I go into a spasm of writing 14-liners, the perfect form of a poem for making an argument, asking a question and providing an answer. So many variations can be rung on the basic form that the possibilities are endless. The continuing relevance of the sonnet in contemporary poetry, especially for serious subjects like love and sex, is the argument that this thrilling new book makes. You can count on two spirited practitioners like Moira Egan and Clarinda Harriss to drive the argument home by restricting their oldest selections to Millay, Cummings and Berryman. Many of the finest modern and contemporary (lubricious) sonnets are here by both well-known poets and those who may be new to you (don't miss Marilyn Taylor's remarkable crown of sonnets or David Bergman's delicate daydream in a shoe store). Every type of love is here, gay, straight and in-between, and many different types of sonnets. Truth to tell, I know the editors and have a poem in here myself, but have never seen a book like this: titillating, educational, classic!
By Liz White
I'm not usually a reader of poetry, but once I started to read the sonnets in this collection I was hooked. The poems are sensuous, funny and more than a little provocative; you can't help feeling a bit sexier after having read them. Highly recommended--especially for reading with a partner.
This amazing book - all sonnets - is my best poetry read since Moira Egan's "Spin." Little wonder, since Ms. Egan and Prof. Clarinda Harriss are co-editors. I dare anyone to find a ringer in this extensive collection which includes many of my favorite authors from the last century and has introduced me to new, contemporary favorites. This unique book should be in the library of anyone who loves the language of poetry.
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