Two of the most distinguished formal poets of our era, Rachel Hadas and Don Paterson, have recently launched worthwhile books. Hadas’ Pandemic Almanac (Ragged Sky Press, 2022) examines our changed world with a clear eye, and Paterson’s The Arctic (Faber & Faber, 2022) is also steeped in painful current events.
Standout books of poetry worth giving to someone you love include Boris Dralyuk’s elegiac My Hollywood (Paul Dry Books, 2022), James Pollock’s Durable Goods (Vehicule Press, 2022), and Alexis Sears’s Out of Order (Autumn House Press, 2022). If you are interested in Great Books, reading Dante along with Andrew Frisardi’s book on Dante, Love’s Scribe (Angelico Press, 2020), is a great place to start—and perhaps also check out the free Great Books programs of catherineproject.org
Don’t miss @alexissearspoet’s “Out of Order,” David Mason’s “Pacific Light” from @RedHenPress, @DanaGioiaPoet’s “Meet Me at the Lighthouse,” forthcoming from @GraywolfPress, and Mark Jarman’s “Zeno’s Eternity,” forthcoming from @PaulDryBooks.
Boris Dralyuk on Twitter