The Best American Poetry 1995 »

David Lehman is the editor of The Oxford Book of American Poetry and the author of seven books of poetry, including When a Woman Loves a Man. He lives in New York City.

The Best American Poetry 1995 once again highlights the dazzling spectrum of style and subject matter to be found in the art today. Guest editor Richard Howard's accent is on discovery and surprise, and he has gleaned the most inventive and searching writing from a wide variety of literary journals. The themes and imagery here are indisputably "American, " as our best poets continue to mine personal as well as communal experience for their work. Now in its eighth year, this series has established itself as a rich and vibrant source of new poetry -- celebrated in bookstore and on college campuses. Welcome, once again, the memorable voices and unique pleasures of Best American Poetry.

Publishers Weekly

Howard's selection of 75 poems for this annual series edited by David Lehman will delight fans of formal traditions but may disappoint readers looking for poetry of socially conscious engagement, L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E-school experimentation or non-white experience. While the works range widely in subject, in style the influence of New Formalism is pervasive-a cerebral tone and Latinate word choice give many poems a self-conscious, overwritten feel. Painful subjects, such as breast cancer, are often buried in obscure references that distance emotional response; even poems drawing from pop culture demonstrate an insular aspect. Where formal constraint combines with authentic voice, we are rewarded with powerful works: the radical brilliance of Molly Peacock, Grace Schulman's intelligent tenderness and David Wojahn's complex insight. J.D. McClatchy addresses mortality with candor and humor in ``My Mammogram,'' and Rafael Campo infuses biting political indictment with personal sorrow in ``The Battle Hymn of the Republic.'' A brief commentary by each of the writers on his/her poem gives a captivating glimpse into the writer's mind and an index lists poems and poets represented in the previous seven volumes of the series. (Sept.)