Shackamaxon (T.S. Eliot Prize Winner, 2012) (New Odyssey Series)
We live in a society that seldom gives much consideration to the importance of place in all its forms, including much poetry. Yet one cannot read the poems in David Livewell s new collection Shackamaxon without coming away with the clear sense of place was extremely important to Livewell not only as a subject of his poems, but also in relation to his formation as a poet. He is a man who seems to have willed himself to be a poet by taking the realities of one of Philadelphia s toughest neighborhoods, Kensington, and transforming those experiences into a poetry of place. --Gene Halus, Schuylkill Valley JournalLivewell's work, both elegy and eulogy, is a meeting place of its own, where quiet praise and deep grief mingle: praise for the gritty streets and crusty characters of Philadelphia neighborhoods, grief for the passing of friends, family, and even the neighborhoods themselves. --Philly.com, January 2013Livewell's work, both elegy and eulogy, is a meeting place of its own, where quiet praise and deep grief mingle: praise for the gritty streets and crusty characters of Philadelphia neighborhoods, grief for the passing of friends, family, and even the neighborhoods themselves. --Philly.com, January 2013