Reviews (2)

A raw, bold, but elegantly contemplative poetic voice
In his book "Say Goodnight," poet Timothy Liu writes "What is touched by loss / is sometimes made more sacred" (from the poem "That Summer"). Liu is adept at finding the intersection of the sacred, the political, and the sexual, and this 100-page collection of poems is a remarkable exercise of his voice. Marvelous depth of language & subject matter
The poems in Say Goodnight are clear, brave, and true.They affect the reader like ice falling from a great height, leaving one startled with the force of its brutality and beauty. Timothy Liu is one of our best poets,and with this book, one does not want to say goodnight at all. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. American - General    2. Gay men    3. General    4. Poetry    5. Poetry / General    6. Asian American authors   

Reviews (1)

Beautiful! Sensual...real
This book does beautiful service to the experience of lesbian love and sensuality.Great for reading to a lover on a moonlit night or for wooing a new love to the next level. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. American    2. Erotic poetry, American    3. Lesbian    4. Lesbians    5. Lesbians' writings, American    6. Poetry    7. Women In Literature    8. Women authors    9. Non-Classifiable   

Reviews (2)

I highly recommend this book of excellent poems!
I highly recommend this book of excellent poems. I can't keep a copy in my house because I keep giving it to discerning friends.
I didn't know anyone wrote real poetry anymore
Sublimation Point was a revelation. I didn't know anyone wrote real poetry anymore-poems about real things that are real poems, with formal structures that support the meaning, with music and clarity, with a reason to be a poem instead of, say, a shopping list or a greeting card. Jason Schneiderman writes real poems, and Sublimation Point is full of them: lyrical and probing and beautiful and sad and funny and true. I read it in one sitting, then turned to the front and began reading again, this time slowly, over time. I go back to particular ones-The Disease Collector; Anatomy I and II; Proposals for a Holocaust Memorial, on Display at MOMA-because of how they say what they say. And others-The Unnaming; Crit; Physics III: Super Powers-because they make me smile. And then there are the ones that just amaze me: the Crown series, and especially the title poem. Sublimation Point is astonishing. It reminded me what poetry is for. And Jason Schneiderman is a real poet. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. American - General    2. Poetry    3. Poetry / Single Author / American    4. American    5. Gay    6. Homosexuality, Male    7. Poetry / General    8. Works by individual poets: from c 1900 -   

Subjects:  1. General    2. Lesbians    3. Poetry    4. Sociology    5. Women As Authors (English Literature)   

Editorial Review

Marilyn Hacker's dark, complex poetic vision has a strange, often formal, beauty to it. Yet, when she writes in Read more

Reviews (2)

I Want to Be Marilyn Hacker When I Grow Up!
I suspect she can rattle off blank verse in iambic pentameter without thinking about it. She can be as earthy as Sharon Olds ("Mother II"), self-deprecating as Philip Larkin ("Riposte") or amusingly Byronic ("Ballade of Ladies Lost & Found.") I appreciate her older poetry, but my admiration increases as I read the newer work, particularly the poems from the most recent collection in this book, Going Back to the River; I would mention "April Interval," "Nights of 1964-1966: the Old Reliable," "Elevens" and `Against Silence" as being particularly striking. She is a diva at my favorite forms: the sonnet and the sestina, and now, thanks to her I have found a new one, the canzone.

Truly Deserving of its National Book Award
Hacker is a master of the sonnet, sestina, and villanelle.I'm always amazed when I arrive at the end of one of her poems and discover that elegant and natural words are arranged in one of these structured ways. Her words and images pull you into the poems and into Hacker's mind. Elegant.Beautiful. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. American - General    2. Lesbians    3. Mothers and daughters    4. Poetry    5. Women   

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. AIDS & HIV    3. AIDS (Disease)    4. American - General    5. Anthologies (multiple authors)    6. Canadian poetry    7. English Canadian Poetry    8. Fiction    9. Gay Studies    10. Gender Studies    11. Patients    12. Photoessays & Documentaries    13. Poetry    14. Sexuality In Literature    15. Sociology    16. AIDS: social aspects    17. Collections & anthologies of various literary forms    18. English    19. Fiction anthologies & collections    20. HIV / AIDS    21. Poetry & poets    22. Poetry texts & anthologies    23. Sexual behaviour   

Reviews (4)

Wonderful
I may never speak ill of poetry again.
Yes, Ali, There is a Camus
Ali Liebegott's new collection of poetry, The Beautifully Worthless, is a stunning debut.Fresh out of the gate from the wizards at Suspect Thoughts Press in San Francisco, this remarkable gem is a fresh and fantastic look at life in all its complexity, ugliness and beauty. Same Difficult World, Different Atlas
One of the recurring images in this endearing book is that of the penny--worthless (practically), yet impossible to just ignore or throw away. So it is with the footloose narrator, who refuses to live a throw-away life, in spite of herself.
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Subjects:  1. American - General    2. Fiction    3. Lesbian    4. Poetry   

Reviews (1)

Barrington at her best
This is the poet's third book of poems and marks a big leap forward in confidence, grasp of form, and weight of subject matter. She is sometimes funny, often wise, and the poems are elegant, some in traditional forms, others merely musical. There is a notable work about New York's twin towers ("AfterImage") written in old accentual verse, which, in its true form, falls into two columns remarkably like the towers themselves. There are a few political poems, transforming righteous indignation into poetry, and many poems rooted in the natural world and focusing on animals. The horses of the title appear even in poems not directly about them. This book will appeal to a wide range of readers including those normally wary of poetry. It is both accessible and a good read. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. American - General    2. American Contemporary Poetry    3. Gay & Lesbian    4. Lesbian    5. Poetry    6. Women Authors    7. Poetry / General   

Subjects:  1. American - General    2. Poetry    3. Poetry / Single Author / American    4. 20th Century American Poetry    5. American    6. American Contemporary Poetry    7. Lesbians' writings, American    8. Single Author - American (General)   

Subjects:  1. Poetry    2. Poetry / Single Author / American    3. 20th Century American Poetry    4. African American Poetry    5. American Contemporary Poetry    6. Gay    7. Single Author - American (General)   

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. American - General    3. Art and literature    4. Criticism and interpretation    5. Difference (Psychology) in literature    6. Gay Studies    7. History    8. Homosexuality and literature    9. O'Hara, Frank    10. Poetry    11. Social Science    12. Sociology    13. United States    14. American English    15. English    16. Literary Criticism / Poetry    17. Poetry & poets: from c 1900 -   

Reviews (1)

Compilation of poems about the binding ties of relationships
Award-winning author Mark Wunderlich presents Voluntary Servitude, a compilation of poems about the binding ties of relationships and the effects of tension that push such bonds to the breaking point. The sad yet real risk of exposure to emotional harm and loss is a prevalent theme in this powerful, gut-wrenching collection. The Room: What I offered you / was more than words on paper. / Now it is as if I viewed a night sky / and saw no planet upon which / we could pin our earnest conversation. / Inside me, there is a room no one will come to. / I have shuttered its five grave windows, / swept clean its smooth, reflective floor / and the key is somewhere I don't remember.
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Subjects:  1. American - General    2. American Contemporary Poetry - Individual Poets    3. Gay Studies    4. Poetry    5. Poetry / General   

Reviews (6)

Watch out--Not Lovey Dovey
I actually picked this book up at a bookstore as an impulse gift for my boyfriend. I am in the habilt of writing love haikus to him and thought seeing this book was kismit. Well, I made the mistake of giving it to him without reading some of the haikus. Instead of sweet, loving poems, it was filled with bitter ascerbic "break up" haikus that gave both of us a queezy feeling. It really was a downer for our blossoming relationship. I asked for, and was granted, an indugence to take back the gift, which I returned to the bookstore. My haikus will have to do.

Neither Japanese Nor Gay
But I really enjoyed this book.Funny story, I was actually trapped in a BN during a rainstorm when my girlfriend plucked it off the shelf, just on a whim.We read it from cover to cover, laughing non-stop at the author's wealth of wit in economy of word.There are passages in this book that in only syllables had us at once laughing and crying, which personally, is an occurrence too infrequent with contemporary literature these days.The truest tesatment to his book though, isn't so much the thorughly enjoyable read, but that I had no idea my connection with the author until I finished it and saw his picture on the back flap."Oh yeah..." I thought.Four out of five dentists agree: Gay Haiku - not just a novelty.Get it.Love it.Share it with your mom.

Best Gay Haiku Book Ever
OK, maybe it's the only Gay Haiku book ever, but this book is fantastic.It's laugh out loud funny, clever, and incredibly sharp and insightful.It's also often surprisingly poignant.Highly recommended. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. American - General    2. Gay men    3. Haiku, American    4. Humor    5. Poetry    6. Topic - Relationships    7. Humor / General   

Reviews (5)

Was Sappho a lesbian ?
Sappho takes a special place among the poets of Antiquity. Plato already said that she was the tenth Muse.It's really refreshing to read her poems. They are very vivid and she needs only a few words to describe essential human feelings.
the Lesbian lesbian
Because Sappho was a Lesbian who wrote about lesbian love, her poetry was banned at times throughout the ages, and therefore to this day there are only surviving fragments of her work and almost no complete poems. But of the fragments there is more than enough to ensure her place as one of the great female poets of all time. She wrote mainly love poems about things like passion, jealousy, and hostility towards her enemies. This book includes all of her surviving verse in a very readable and enjoyable translation.
"there's so much beauty..."
Rich Mullins once wrote "there's so much beauty around us for just two eyes to see." And so it is with the poetry of this ancient Greek lady Sappho. Without her extra eyes, I would be robbed of some sights I could not have found without her. For instance, in one of her poems, she writes:Read more

Subjects:  1. Ancient and Classical    2. General    3. Greece    4. Poetry    5. Women    6. Lesbian studies    7. Other prose: classical, early & medieval   

Reviews (3)

The Miracle of Love
This is simply a beautiful book. The format is basic; its moderate-sized square pages sit well in one's hand. A brief bit of blank verse appears on the left page, a photo on the right. Imagery ranges from silken to stone, and from flesh to flame. The images vary: one (p.59) is the black of death, the one before is red death on white, if you think about it. Others are affectionate (p.39), eternal (p.63), or tender (p.36) with a hint of passion on the page that follows.
A poetic history of same-sex love.
In 1988, Alan Moore, fresh from the success of Watchmen, self-published AARGH! (Artists Against Rampant Government Homophobia), an anthology designed to fight the infamous Clause 28, one of the more homophobic moves of the Thatcher British Government. Moore's own contribution to the anthology was The Mirror of Love, an eight-page strip recounting the history of homosexuality, drawn by Steve Bissette and Rick Veitch, his collaborators on Swamp Thing. An eloquent and powerful book
Alan Moore originally wrote THE MIRROR OF LOVE in 1988 as a response to Great Britain's infamous Clause 28, which prevented local authorities from "promoting" homosexuality. In actuality, its intent was to banish all trace of homosexuality. It was one of many stories included in the comic book anthology AARGH! (Artists Against Rampant Government Homophobia), and drawn by Steve Bissette and Rick Veitch. This new edition of the work is a hard cover book published by Top Shelf.Read more

Subjects:  1. Bisexuals    2. Gay Studies    3. Gay men    4. Graphic Novels    5. Graphic Novels - General    6. History    7. Homosexuality    8. Lesbians    9. Social Science    10. Sociology    11. Comics & Graphic Novels / General    12. Literature of special Gay & Lesbian interest    13. Poetry & poets   

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. American - General    3. Biography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. General    6. Lesbian Studies    7. Lesbians    8. Literary    9. Novelists, American    10. Poetry    11. United States    12. Social Science / Lesbian Studies    13. Works by individual poets: from c 1900 -   

Subjects:  1. 20th Century American Poetry    2. Gay men    3. Poetry   

Features

• Unabridged
• Unknown format

Reviews (1)

If you love a butch or being a butch you will LOVE this book
This book really captures the essence of "butch" . I laughed out loud or smiled througheach and every page. It also is a great read aloud book for lovers. If you love a good butch this book will put your feelings into words, if you are a good butch you will see yourself. Just like great lesbian humor ? You will love this book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. American - General    2. Asia - Japan    3. Form - Limericks & Verse    4. Gay Studies    5. General    6. Humor    7. Lesbians    8. Poetry    9. Works by individual poets: from c 1900 -   

Reviews (1)

Not the usual suspects
Garber is helping to chart a new critical lineage of feminist and lesbigay studies and activism.In contrast to the received histories of these movements, in which feminism and lesbian feminism are portrayed as white, middle-class exclusionary (and humorless!) movements ultimately betrayed by their own political correctness and tunnel vision, Garber presents a more dynamic, multi-dimensional view. She focuses in particular on the contributions of working class lesbians and lesbians of color to the development of both lesbian AND queer theories, thereby "decentering" the usual suspects. Read more

Subjects:  1. Feminism & Feminist Theory    2. Gay & Lesbian    3. Identity    4. Lesbian Studies    5. Lesbian feminist theory    6. Lesbianism    7. Lesbians    8. Literary Criticism    9. Poetry    10. Sociology    11. Literary Criticism & Collections / Gay & Lesbian   

Editorial Review

Twenty years ago, an anthology of poetry by openly gay and lesbian writers would have been uneven at best, and at worst an embarrassment. Even now, as the editors of this watershed volume attest, a number of our more accomplished poets (mostly of the "pre-Stonewall generation") decline to have their sexual identities made public, or their work associated with gay and lesbian culture. One hopes that their reluctance won't prevent them from reading Read more

Reviews (2)

Nice Cover; Hit or Miss Contents
I commend the editors for the packaging. But as my momma once pointed out, pretty packages can be deceiving. And there is no greater disappointment than opening some tantalizing package only to discover that what's underneath the pleasant surface is socks! Oh, certainly there's a bit of meat and substance, but not nearly what you were hoping to sink your teeth into. I chewed thoughtfully over phrases by Dennis Cooper, Mark Bibbins, Carl Phillips and D. A. Powell. But Marilyn Hacker and Mary Doty left me limp. And the editors showed no shame in including yards of their own weak material, cheapening the overall effect of an otherwise interesting line of garments. For shame, girls!

A More Open Tour of an Enriched Country, This Time
After waiting a decade for this one, I'm immenselyrelieved. This book's only predecessor was a "landmark" (butlimited) 1988 collection edited by C. Morse and J. Larkin (out of print). Suppose that "reading an anthology" is like "visiting a foreign country." Well, in its well-meant attempt to raise political awareness, that earlier book seemed to trumpet multicultural diversity, which often drowned out artistic excellence in the tradeoff. As if on an official tour of a totalitarian country, I encountered many blatty propaganda lectures, touring the factories and monuments (poems with messages). But where were "the people," the individual poets' voices and craft? Thin work seemed included just so all minority-groups were included. A decade later, not so here this time! In THE WORLD IN US, ideology defers to the hundred true flowers of literary artistry for its own sake. In the 221 poems of these 46 currently-writing American poets, I can (to continue the travel analogy) depart from the Intourist route, can visit the "neighborhood cafes" where true "plural voices" speak--not those of ethnic groups, but of fingerprint-unique individual writers. I see the "flower gardens" of imagery, the "craft shops" of polished language. I view the "playgrounds" where poet-athletes sportively play with fixed forms, with the cool-toned mature control which is good style. In short, last decade's liberationist necessities have matured out here to where the only Message, is the poem's vision itself.You'll surely enjoy. My only regret is that only 46 writers appear. I would have preferred a goal which the editors explicitly rejected, "an overview or a broad sampling of the field." Instead, they sought "a long, curated poetry reading in book form." But my personal preference here cannot be a valid criticism of their decision which was bona fide. And anyhow 221 poems is a rich bouquet indeed.....I was glad to see included, co-editor Lassell's poem "How To Watch Your Brother Die." I taught this perennial blockbuster for semesters in college freshman English 101. Always, its magic turned surly, resistant, and yes, homophobic student-readers into thoughtful, changed appreciators. Now there you do have both political awareness and also poetic artistry pulling in tandem. You also have it in many of the other 220 flowers in this foreign, familiar land. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. American - General    2. Anthologies (multiple authors)    3. Poetry    4. Poetry / Anthologies (multiple authors)