A review by artemitch
Eight American Poets: An Anthology by Joel Conarroe

4.0

I'm not highly read in poetry, but this was an especially wonderful collection for those who are new to reading it and want to get a sense of how great some of the most renowned American poets are. I do like some of the poets more so than others. I'm impressed by Robert Lowell the most, didn't really enjoy John Berryman; some of Sylvia's poems are a hit or miss for me, though I'm enchanted by her style; I think I found a new favorite in both Anne Sexton and James Merrill. I neither like nor dislike Roethke and Bishop, and as for Ginsberg, his poems are long but very ecstatic and spirited. I'm pretty certain that most of the poets here fall into the genre of "confessional poets/poetry," and I truly admire them for putting themselves out there with such raw and intense emotions. Far more than just myself, I'm sure, find this type of poetry easy to relate to or sympathize with. 

My two favorite poems from this collection have to be Plath's "Tulips" and Lowell's "The Quaker Graveyard in Nantucket."