Legitimate Dangers: American Poets of the New Century

It should come as no surprise that a book called Legitimate Dangers would have a somewhat volatile effect. The world of poetry can often be a craven, petty, and divisive little industry, where people are more interested in attacking a new anthology than editing their own or actually writing a few good poems themselves. As someone who isn't part of any poetry coterie or underworld but who consumes as many books of poetry a year as I can stomach, I actually purchased this anthology and read it. Many of the poems in here are fantastic. While the writers assembled have diverse aesthetic preferences (from the jazzy to the more formal, from the punky and edgy to the eloquent and mellifluous), for the most part, the poems themselves are meditative, lush, unsettling, and ambitious. Why pick on this particular anthology of younger poets and not another one? Have you read the book or are you merely disappointed that your friend's name isn't on the table of contents? William James said, "A great many people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices." How many other anthologies are out there who are equally eager to introduce the general readership to the avant-garde stylings of Joshua Beckman, Christine Hume, Lisa Jarnot, and Joyelle McSweeney and to the clearly more traditional poems of Rick Barot, Spencer Reece, and Greg Williamson in the same volume? This is not a comprehensive, democratic anthology, and it shouldn't be--it's already 500 pages long for crying out loud. If you read this book, chances are you'll discover some poems you like more than others. I did. That's true of any collection. This one happens to be filled to the brim with beautiful new writing. Is that such a bad thing?

I'm not sure how mikemike defines a Hispanic or Latino poet, but Richard Blanco was born in Spain and is of Cuban descent, Monica de la Torre was born in Mexico City and came to America in 1993, and Sabrina Orah Mark was born in Mexico. This is all in author bio notes in the book. You should do a little fact-checking before you start making accusations.

Finally, an anthology that takes a long hard look at the work of a new generation of poets. This is a handsome book showcasing a mix of writers. Some long established like Natasha Trethewey, Kevin Young, and Nick Flynn. Others including Monica De La Torre and Sherwin Bitsui are on the rise. I especially love the author photos--who doesn't want to know what these writers look like. It'll make it easier for me to spot them at AWP. Sarabande should be commended.

I just got a copy of this book this morning and I've been reading it all day: all my favorite younger poets are here, including Pimone Triplett, Andrew Feld, Robin Schiff, and Major Jackson, and a lot of other interesting folk I hadn't heard of before. Just read an absolutely chilling love poem by Josh Bell, who is a new name for me. My first reaction is I couldn't recommend this anthology more highly. I love that David Berman from the Silver Jews has poems in here.