30 review for Naked Poetry: Recent American Poetry in Open Forms

1. 

   5 out of 5

   Jason – Sep 01, 2010

   I am so thankful to this book for opening me up to authors i wouldn't have otherwise explored: Robert Bly, Kenneth Patchen, Kenneth Rexroth, and Theodore Roethke. What brilliant men! This book tries to focus on the formlessness of American poetry, its necessity to drop European conventions and begin as fresh as Whitman's frontier. The point that Patchen drives home in his essay, as well as Berryman, as well as Merwin is that we need to drop the need to commit to a structure. Rip the pages out lik I am so thankful to this book for opening me up to authors i wouldn't have otherwise explored: Robert Bly, Kenneth Patchen, Kenneth Rexroth, and Theodore Roethke. What brilliant men! This book tries to focus on the formlessness of American poetry, its necessity to drop European conventions and begin as fresh as Whitman's frontier. The point that Patchen drives home in his essay, as well as Berryman, as well as Merwin is that we need to drop the need to commit to a structure. Rip the pages out like Dr. Keating demands and dance around like a faery. Whatever, i suppose if you take what the essays command of you, then you sort of have to say "fuck the essay" and do what you want to do, however you want to do it. The more you abide to their "activity of poetry" as opposed to the "assumed senses of literary style" (Creeley), then you just sort of come up with them anyway, without researching. It's like that essay on Dadaism that Carl Solomon stood outside throwing fish at who was going in. It's absurd to think you can lecture on freedom. Freedom is free, it was born that way. So, in the most lenient way possible, Fuck it! It is almost over. I am in control. Here is my honey-machine, It will work without thinking, Opening, in spring, like an industrious virgin (Plath)

2. 

   5 out of 5

   kate – Nov 19, 2016

   "we began with the firm conviction that the strongest and most alive poetry in america had abandoned or at least broken the grip of traditional metres and had set out, once again, into "the wilderness of unopened life". happy used bookstore find. a collection from 1969 of some of america's new poets from fifties and sixties. distilled essence of language, a little 'howl' a little plath and the awe inspiring sheer power of words is self evident, a month of magazine and newspaper writers are mumbli "we began with the firm conviction that the strongest and most alive poetry in america had abandoned or at least broken the grip of traditional metres and had set out, once again, into "the wilderness of unopened life". happy used bookstore find. a collection from 1969 of some of america's new poets from fifties and sixties. distilled essence of language, a little 'howl' a little plath and the awe inspiring sheer power of words is self evident, a month of magazine and newspaper writers are mumbling, social media mere catatonic battery in the matrix of this age. i love these anthologies, historic details - the pythonesque cover a staple of sixties aesthetic flair, old photos of moody poets at varying degrees of ease as subjects of a camera, introductions with so much surety frozen forever in the zeitgeist moment in which it was written. try 'wichita vortex sutra, part ii' by ginsberg for some carsick inducing deja vu. nothing like finding out you have been suckered over and over again. here is a link to a video montage accompanied by philip glass' music of same. i will add some versus later, link was taken down. https://youtu.be/6XXiLs8bgLU

3. 

   4 out of 5

   Rob – Dec 01, 2011

   I found this book tucked away in a corner of my grandmother's library. As an anthology, it is a wonderful peek into the popular free-form poetry of the sixties. Each of the featured poets wrote a statement about their poetics specifically for this anthology, which makes it a little bit of gem for sure. What truly makes this book so special for me, are my grandmother's annotations. She wrote in a script that is sometimes more difficult to decipher than poetry, but as I read her scribbles, I get gl I found this book tucked away in a corner of my grandmother's library. As an anthology, it is a wonderful peek into the popular free-form poetry of the sixties. Each of the featured poets wrote a statement about their poetics specifically for this anthology, which makes it a little bit of gem for sure. What truly makes this book so special for me, are my grandmother's annotations. She wrote in a script that is sometimes more difficult to decipher than poetry, but as I read her scribbles, I get glimpses of my grandmother's thoughts, opinions, and insights. By reading these poems, I am coming to know my grandmother in ways that my childhood memories would never allow. It's quite beautiful really.

4. 

   5 out of 5

   Brenda – Jun 13, 2011

   This is an amazing collection of some of the best American Poets ever! Even M.S. MERWIN, poet laureate of 2010, weighs in with some of his word-spun magic. It's been forty some-odd years since its first publication so while I can't honestly say that the poems contained are the BEST work of each poet because many of them went onto create larger bodies of work, I WILL say that this collection is definitely worth reading! This is an amazing collection of some of the best American Poets ever! Even M.S. MERWIN, poet laureate of 2010, weighs in with some of his word-spun magic. It's been forty some-odd years since its first publication so while I can't honestly say that the poems contained are the BEST work of each poet because many of them went onto create larger bodies of work, I WILL say that this collection is definitely worth reading!

5. 

   5 out of 5

   Kris Babe – Apr 02, 2011

   One of the first books of modern poetry that ever came into my hands. I first met up with Theodore Roethke, Sylvia Plath, Allen Ginsberg and James Wright in its pages. It has pride of place on my shelf of poetry.

6. 

   5 out of 5

   K.S. Wuertz – Mar 02, 2016

   I like the variety of poets... Its a great 'get away' book with the poetry thought provoking. I realize the book has been out since my college days, but after taking another look through it - I'm glad I have it on my shelf. I recommend it highly, it will take you other places... I like the variety of poets... Its a great 'get away' book with the poetry thought provoking. I realize the book has been out since my college days, but after taking another look through it - I'm glad I have it on my shelf. I recommend it highly, it will take you other places...

7. 

   5 out of 5

   Paula Hagar – Mar 14, 2011

   This book was one of my textbooks in my very first creative writing class at LSU in 1974. It changed my life forever at that time. I still open it from time to time to reread my favorite poems.

8. 

   4 out of 5

   Lynn Clark – Jan 28, 2014

   An excellent early collection of 20th-century American poetry.

9. 

   4 out of 5

   Amy P – Nov 20, 2013

   Remember Half-Price Books in Austin? I found this book there. Lots of Kenneth Rexroth, James Wright, and Ginsburg.

10. 

    4 out of 5

    Jason Mashak – Jul 10, 2011

    Great collection. Don't be fooled by the title, however, as 'naked' is in it merely as a marketing ploy (which probably worked at the time, as it likely would now). Great collection. Don't be fooled by the title, however, as 'naked' is in it merely as a marketing ploy (which probably worked at the time, as it likely would now).

11. 

    5 out of 5

    Leo Dunsker –

12. 

    5 out of 5

    Gena –

13. 

    5 out of 5

    Justin Hegstad –

14. 

    5 out of 5

    Tammy –

15. 

    5 out of 5

    Troy Belford –

16. 

    4 out of 5

    Andrew –

17. 

    5 out of 5

    Legrand –

18. 

    5 out of 5

    Steve –

19. 

    4 out of 5

    Vincent –

20. 

    4 out of 5

    Marc Smith –

21. 

    4 out of 5

    Jonathan –

22. 

    4 out of 5

    Mark Millicent –

23. 

    4 out of 5

    Marian –

24. 

    5 out of 5

    Jane Menard –

25. 

    5 out of 5

    Jason –

26. 

    4 out of 5

    Camille Cusumano –

27. 

    4 out of 5

    Saul –

28. 

    5 out of 5

    Suzanne –

29. 

    5 out of 5

    Kelly –

30. 

    4 out of 5

    Simeon Berry –