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A review by b_p
The Best American Poetry 2014 by Terrance Hayes, David Lehman
4.0
Overall, I would give this collection a high B average (technically an 87.08% avg.) as far as the quality of the poems contained. I know that attempting to quantify poetic effect/value is a ridiculous gesture, but I am simply a ridiculous person. Of course, this is purely based off of my own tastes and will not necessarily reflect your average satisfaction rate.
I started a mission a few months ago to read the last few entries in the Best American Poetry series so that I can begin to get a better sense of A) what my taste in poetry is, and B) my own poetic voice. I am finding so far that I am all over the map and impressionable in both areas (I am only an amateur poet at this point, if that).
I was overjoyed to see that Hayes included Charles Kinbote (of Pale Fire fame) in his introduction. It was easily the best introduction of the BAP series that I have read so far. As far the selection, I am pleased with the political and racial relevance of some of the pieces. It feels good to be able to contextualize the work of poet's in your own time without having to take a course about their historical and biographical background. Living with the poet and being able to relate to the history that they are chronicling in real time is a refreshing change of pace from my college delving into poets from previous centuries. I, of course, enjoy reading both immensely. I will also commend Hayes on selecting what may be my favorite poem I have come across yet in a BAP - Sherman Alexie's "Sonnet with Pride."
Masterpieces (9)
"Sonnet with Pride" by Sherman Alexie
"Control" by Rae Armantrout
"SCRIPT POEM" by Rosemary Griggs
"White Writer" by Tony Hoagland
"Rape Joke" by Patricia Lockwood
"Selection from Tanka Diary" by Harryette Mullen
"Wishing Well" by Gregory Pardlo
"Free Beer" by Diane Seuss
"Emerald Spider Between Rose Thorns" by Dean Young
Masterful (11)
"Breezeway" by John Ashbery
"Host" by Jericho Brown
"Conspiracy (to breathe together)" by Camille Dungy
"Overturned" by Cornelius Eady
"As Like" by Adam Hammer
"In My Last Past Life" by Hailey Leithauser
"Elegy with a Darkening Trapeze inside It" by Larry Levis
"Decoded" by Jon Sands
"I Grade Online Humanities Tests" by Sandra Simonds
"Detainment" by Greg Wrenn
"Blessed Are" by Robert Wrigley
Masters Candidates (10)
"With Birds" by Erin Belieu
"On Reflection" by Linda Bierds
"wondering about our demise while driving to Disneyland with abandon" by CAConrad
"A Fragment of Ibykos Translated 6 Ways" by Anne Carson
"Juilliard Cento Sonnet" by Philip Dacey
"News from Harlem" by Kwame Dawes
"These Hands, if Not Gods" by Natalie Diaz
"No Doubt About It (I Gotta Get Another Hat)" by LE Hinton
"One El Paso, Two El Paso" by Ray Gonzalez
"During the Autopsy" by Corey Van Landingham
Overall, I would absolutely to highly recommend approx. 40% of the poems contained in this volume.
I started a mission a few months ago to read the last few entries in the Best American Poetry series so that I can begin to get a better sense of A) what my taste in poetry is, and B) my own poetic voice. I am finding so far that I am all over the map and impressionable in both areas (I am only an amateur poet at this point, if that).
I was overjoyed to see that Hayes included Charles Kinbote (of Pale Fire fame) in his introduction. It was easily the best introduction of the BAP series that I have read so far. As far the selection, I am pleased with the political and racial relevance of some of the pieces. It feels good to be able to contextualize the work of poet's in your own time without having to take a course about their historical and biographical background. Living with the poet and being able to relate to the history that they are chronicling in real time is a refreshing change of pace from my college delving into poets from previous centuries. I, of course, enjoy reading both immensely. I will also commend Hayes on selecting what may be my favorite poem I have come across yet in a BAP - Sherman Alexie's "Sonnet with Pride."
Masterpieces (9)
"Sonnet with Pride" by Sherman Alexie
"Control" by Rae Armantrout
"SCRIPT POEM" by Rosemary Griggs
"White Writer" by Tony Hoagland
"Rape Joke" by Patricia Lockwood
"Selection from Tanka Diary" by Harryette Mullen
"Wishing Well" by Gregory Pardlo
"Free Beer" by Diane Seuss
"Emerald Spider Between Rose Thorns" by Dean Young
Masterful (11)
"Breezeway" by John Ashbery
"Host" by Jericho Brown
"Conspiracy (to breathe together)" by Camille Dungy
"Overturned" by Cornelius Eady
"As Like" by Adam Hammer
"In My Last Past Life" by Hailey Leithauser
"Elegy with a Darkening Trapeze inside It" by Larry Levis
"Decoded" by Jon Sands
"I Grade Online Humanities Tests" by Sandra Simonds
"Detainment" by Greg Wrenn
"Blessed Are" by Robert Wrigley
Masters Candidates (10)
"With Birds" by Erin Belieu
"On Reflection" by Linda Bierds
"wondering about our demise while driving to Disneyland with abandon" by CAConrad
"A Fragment of Ibykos Translated 6 Ways" by Anne Carson
"Juilliard Cento Sonnet" by Philip Dacey
"News from Harlem" by Kwame Dawes
"These Hands, if Not Gods" by Natalie Diaz
"No Doubt About It (I Gotta Get Another Hat)" by LE Hinton
"One El Paso, Two El Paso" by Ray Gonzalez
"During the Autopsy" by Corey Van Landingham
Overall, I would absolutely to highly recommend approx. 40% of the poems contained in this volume.