One hundred poems. One hundred voices. One hundred different points of view.
Here is a cross-section of American poetry as it is right now—full of grit and love, sparkling with humor, searing the heart, smashing through boundaries on every page. Please Excuse This Poem features one hundred acclaimed younger poets from truly diverse backgrounds and points of view, whose work has appeared everywhere from The New Yorker to Twitter, tackling a startling range of subjects in a startling range of poetic forms. Dealing with the aftermath of war; unpacking the meaning of “the rape joke”; sharing the tender moments at the start of a love affair: these poems tell the world as they see it.
Editors Brett Fletcher Lauer and Lynn Melnick have crafted a book that is a must-read for those wanting to know the future of poetry. With an introduction from award-winning poet, editor, and translator Carolyn Forché, Please Excuse This Poem has the power to change the way you look at the world. It is The Best American Nonrequired Reading—in poetry form.
PRAISE FOR PLEASE EXCUSE THIS POEM
"This eclectic mix of poetry from some of the most up-and-coming poets provides a glimpse into contemporary life. Poems include the heart-wrenching and the hilarious, the bitingly sarcastic and the utterly stoic. The poems tackle a variety of difficult topics, including sexual abuse, racial profiling, drug use, and family problems, as well as more hopeful subjects, and highly relatable ones. Appended are short biographies of each of the authors and their answers to insightful questions (the last book of poems they read, their idea of misery). Readers will find the afterword, where the editors explain their reason for creating the collection, a valuable bonus. The poems are not organized in a way that require readers to explore the titles in order, which will appeal to busy and reluctant readers. Those with an interest in poetry will devour these relatable selections." -- SLJ
"Incisive and occasionally brash, the selected works by these poets on the rise showcase the challenges of 21st-century living for readers who are ready for them."--Kirkus Reviews
