The Geography Of Home: California's Poetry Of Place (California Poetry Series)
In their introduction, editors Buckley and Young, both accomplished poets, state, "We set out to gather the best poems we could find that celebrate and witness California and its people.... Many of the poets in this anthology offer an informed moral consciousness that rises out of their unique situation at the western edge of the continent." The editors have done their work well; this book is a rich collection reflecting the diversity, beauty, and spirit of adventure that are California. The poets, arranged alphabetically, are each represented by several poems, a brief biography, their own reflections concerning the influence of California on their work, and a photograph. Well-known figures such as Philip Levine, William Everson, Robert Hass, Adrienne Rich, Carolyn Kizer, Gary Snyder, Carol Muske, Diane Wakoski, and Charles Wright are interspersed with newer, lesser-known voices. The quality of the poems is uneven, but each of the 76 poets is grounded in and authentically expresses the California experience.AJudy Clarence, California State Univ. Lib., HaywardCopyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.