The Books of Poetry I Returned to Most Often

I made this list a couple weeks ago, but every time I return to it, I change it up a bit. Here's what I think is my final list of the books that for whatever reason have stayed with me, in my thoughts and off the bookshelf.

2006 was a fantastic year for new books of poetry, and 2007 is looking like it will be as well, with new books I'm looking forward to by Bin Ramke, Rae Armantrout, Martha Ronk, Donald Revell, Cole Swensen, Reginald Shepherd, Christopher Arigo, Joshua Kryah, Hadara Bar-Nadav, Albert Goldbarth, Jaswinder Bolina, G.C. Waldrep, Mary Biddinger, Zachary Schomburg, and the Four Way Books Spring Collection. And on.

If you're looking for some last minute gift ideas, for yourself or for others, there are some very interesting, very sure bets here.


Mark Strand, Man and Camel
Louise Glück, Averno
Charles Wright, Scar Tissue
Jon Woodward, Rain
Sarah Manguso, Siste Viator
Dara Wier, Remnants of Hannah
Paul Hoover, Edge and Fold
Richard Meier, Shelley Gave Jane a Guitar
Joshua Marie Wilkinson, lug your careless body out of the careful dusk
Matthew Zapruder, The Pajamaist
Scott Minar, Palace of Reasons
Wayne Miller, Only the Senses Sleep
Eric Schwerer, The Saint of Withdrawal
Ryan Murphy, Down with the Ship
Alice Notley, Grave of Light: New and Selected Poems, 1970–2005
Deborah Bernhardt, Echolalia
Stan Sanvel Rubin, Hidden Sequel
Mei-mei Berssenbrugge, I Love Artists: New and Selected Poems
Anthony McCann, Moon Garden
Frederick Seidel, OOGA BOOGA
Lisa Sewell, Name Withheld
Noelle Kocot, Poem for the End of Time and Other Poems
Mary Ruefle, A Little White Shadow
Jean-Paul Pequeur, The Case Against Happiness
Joshua Clover, The Totality for Kids
Martha Collins, Blue Front
Brian Henry, Quarantine
Christina Davis, Forth a Raven
Catherine Bowman, Notarikon
Ashley Capps, God Bless Our Crop-dusted Wedding Cake
Aaron McCollough, Little Ease


and a few chapbooks:


Joy Katz, The Garden Room
Rae Armantrout, Fetch
Jennifer Militello, Anchor Chain, Open Sail
Amy Newman, The BirdGirl Handbook


I'm sure I've missed some good books. I know in the past I have. (Some that spring to mind are books by Lucie Brock-Broido, David Dodd Lee, Kathleen Ossip, Louise Mathias, Richard Meier, and the list goes on, with apologies . . .)

Advice to publishers:

1. Please publish the first books of Jennifer Militello & Dan Kaplan.

2. Where is there a good list of all the books of poetry published each year?