The New Young American Poets: An Anthology [Paperback]

Associate Professor Kevin Prufer (Editor), Richard Howard (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2000

Poetry today holds mainstream attention as never before. From community workshops to reading groups, from coffee house poetry slams to small press lit mags, from universities to web 'zines, the world of poetry has become part of our everyday lives. Demonstrating the range and vitality of the new generation of American writers, The New Young American Poets features the work of forty poets born since 1960.

 

Editorial Reviews

Review

“There are so many good poems here . . . that the future of American poetry looks bright, indeed.”—Booklist (starred review)

“These ‘young’ poets’ seriousness of intent, and their freedom from the solipsism of many who came immediately before them, bode well for American poetry in the new century. By and large, the kids are alright.”—Literal Latte

“I invite the reader to join me in  . . . discover[ing] just how real, how rich, how rewarding our new poetry might be.”—Richard Howard, from the Foreword

About the Author

Born in 1969, Kevin Prufer grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, and is now an associate professor in the creative writing program at Central Missouri State University. His first collection of poetry, Strange Wood, won the Winthrop Poetry Series and was published in 1998. He coedits Pleiades: A Journal of New Writing.

Product Details

• Paperback: 264 pages
• Publisher: Southern Illinois University Press; 1st edition (January 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0809323095
• ISBN-13: 978-0809323098
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #832,983 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hubbub and Democracy, May 3, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The New Young American Poets: An Anthology (Paperback)

OK, this book has generated about as much hubbub as a poetry anthology is likely to generate. Everyone wants their say about who the next generation of poets is . . . and everyone will have a gripe with at least a couple of the people included here. Fact is, though, this is a very carefully put together selection of solid -- sometimes terrific -- poems by many of the most talented poets writing today. It's discerningly edited with a good ear for both the sense and the music of the poems.

Of course, if you want a truly democratic anthology, you'll have to go elsewhere. But why the hell should an anthology be democratic? Good anthologies have editors who enforce their own aesthetic values and tastes on the book--who select poems THEY like. In a way, good anthologies are anti-democratic. They go for range, of course, but ultimately have one person in making the decisions. Bad anthologies are often democratic, though. It takes no skill, after all, to include everyone . . . to merely survey the field.

I recommend this effort wholeheartedly. It'll inspire you or make you mad -- but there's a mind at work putting it together and lots of talent in the poems.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Mostly Good, April 17, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The New Young American Poets: An Anthology (Paperback)

Most of the poets in this collection are good. That makes it better than most contemporary anthologies. I especially liked Ruth P. Schwartz, Mark Wunderlich, and Paul Beatty. A few are less good, but the book is a real service to people who want to find out what's happening right now in American poetry. And the poets' discussions in the back of the book are pretty interesting. Overall: very very good.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Anthology, April 5, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The New Young American Poets: An Anthology (Paperback)

Of the recent "new young poetry" anthologies, this is the only one with a real editor at work. Kevin Prufer knows what he likes -- and it's good stuff. He's talked to each poet in the book and worked with them to select the best of their poems -- and it shows. Several of the poems are published for the first time here -- and most are very new. From this anthology, I got a clear picture of what the very best young poets are writing today.