~Chad Davidson, Consolation Miracles (SIU Press, 2003)

          I think this is the second selection I’ve pulled from his book.  A really fantastic book as a whole, and this is one of my favorite poems.

          ~TM

          ~Kay Ryan, The Niagara River (Grove Press, 2005)

          She is described as a “minimalist” poet—meaning she’s not much for shopping at antique stores for little baubles and bangles to line her shelves.  I admire that sensibility and believe the opposite is a trap into which far too many contemporary poets fall. I feel that people often have a needless (arbitrary) drive to over accentuate an image with irrelevant dribble, to dress up a tree in more than leaves and bark. Let it stand, I say. Stop with the meaning-making nonsense.  

          ~TM

          ~Steven Gehrke, Michelangelo’s Seizure (U. of Illinois, 2007)

          Really a fantastic book.  I’d recommend it to anyone who likes reading.  This is my salute to the fourth of July. 

          ~TM

          ~C.K. Williams, The Singing (Farrar Straus Giroux 2003)

          Yeah, this guy can write—always another bone to pick, and that’s what I like about him the most.  This poem got stuck and rattled around in my head for a while.  Maybe it’ll do the same for you.

          ~TM

           ~Malena Mörling, Astoria (Pitt Press 2006)

          For my money, Astoria is one of the best books written in the last decade.  Not only does she inspire me, but she actually gets me to the page without fail.  I’m so glad I came across this book.

          ~TM