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A review by christytidwell
Anthology of Modern American Poetry by Cary Nelson, Emory Elliott, A. Walton Litz
4.0
Well, I didn't read every single poem in this book, but I read quite a few of them and used the book to teach. This is a really well put together anthology, with wonderful poetry, good introductions/biographies, and good paper. That last may sound silly, but compared to the Norton anthologies and others I've used, this paper is sturdy. Those other anthologies use paper that is like tissue paper, which is annoying and hard to write on (though it does, of course, cut down on the weight of those books); this anthology has paper that won't tear when you turn the page and that a mere pencil-stroke won't rip right through.
The only reason this anthology gets less than five stars from me is the absence of June Jordan. I fail to see how an anthology of modern American poetry, especially one that values the tradition of political poetry, can overlook June Jordan.
The only reason this anthology gets less than five stars from me is the absence of June Jordan. I fail to see how an anthology of modern American poetry, especially one that values the tradition of political poetry, can overlook June Jordan.