The Hide-and-Seek Muse: Annotations of Contemporary Poetry
For people who are a bit wary of poetry, this is the perfect antidote: the poems are amazing, and so are Lisa Russ Spaar s short essays. There s a sense of clarity about everything here (not that things aren t complex; not that Lisa s analyses aren t fascinating constructs themselves, insightful and inspiring, though not intimidating.) I d think anyone who cares about an inner reality that might be somehow communicated nailed; set free; amplified; questioned -- would embrace the chance to read poems that elucidate so much about the mind and the heart, and to understand better the urges embodied in the process of constructing a poem, which always speaks from its structure of restraint. I loved every minute of reading this book. --Ann Beattie --Drunken Boat (blurbs)Lisa Russ Spaar has an intense and generous spirit. She loves poetry and honors the people who read and write it. Reading her you remember once again that there s no such thing as a bad poem or a bad reader. Time will tell which ones were better and best. This book follows many roads, some less traveled than others and Lisa has a wonderful eye for the wildflowers everywhere. --Jerome McGann --Drunken Boat (blurbs)