Thursday, December 20, 2007

Favourites of 2007

I’ve been ruthless in only including books I’ve finished, which rules out Claire Crowther, James Schuyler, Edwin Morgan, Richard Price, Alan Gillis, and W.S Graham – whose books I am still reading (I tend to read several books at the one time). Some of them, perhaps all, may well feature in my 2008 lists. I won’t finish any of them before the end of the year as I am reading two huge Selected Poems sent to me for review by a magazine and have no time to read anything else.

Favourite Poetry Books published in 2007

The Parthian Stations – John Ash (Carcanet)
The Harbour Beyond the Movie – Luke Kennard (Salt)
Travelator – Steven Waling (Salt)

Favourite Poetry Books read in 2007 (but not published then)

The Never-Never – Kathryn Gray (Seren)
Selected Poems – Mark Strand (Carcanet)
Fire Stations – AB Jackson (Anvil)
The Deleted World – Tomas Transtromer (Enitharmon)
Masculinity – Robert Crawford (Cape)
The Truth of Poetry – Michael Hamburger (Anvil)
Coming to Terms – Harry Guest (Anvil)
The Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nations Millennium General Assembly – Denis Johnson (Harper Perennial)
Carbon Atom – Alexander Hutchison (Link-Light)
A Little Book of Meat – Selima Hill (Bloodaxe)
Green Sees Things in Waves – August Kleinzahler (Faber & Faber)

Favourite Chapbooks/Pamphlets of 2007

The Small Hours – Tom Duddy (HappenStance)
Smoke – Jenni Daiches (Kettillonia)
Payday Loans – Jee Leong Koh (Poets Wear Prada)
Cabinet d'Amateur - Andrew Shields (Darling)
19th Century Blues – Patrick McGuinness (Smith/Doorstop)
The Body in the Well – Gregory Leadbetter (HappenStance)
Super Try Again – Roddy Lumsden (Donut)

Favourite Poetry Magazines

Magma
Orbis

Favourite Poetry Webzines

Stride
qarrtsiluni

Most Provocative Essay on Poetry

Fear of Narrative and the Skittery Poem of Our Moment – Tony Hoagland

Best Live Poetry Gig

Of events I have been involved in, the HappenStance reading at Carlisle was brilliant, and Roddy Lumsden, AB Jackson, and Andrew Philip at the Great Grog, Edinburgh, would take a lot of beating.

Mark Strand at StAnza 2007 was terrific.

6 comments:

Andrew Shields said...

I'm glad you liked my chapbook enough to put it on your list! Just for your reference: the title on the cover is "Kunst zu Texten," but the poetry part is called "Cabinet d'Amateur."

Rob said...

Andrew - don't know what I was thinking. It's now corrected.

Andrew Shields said...

Thanks, Rob. "Kunst zu Texten" is the name of the series, which also includes chapbooks with German translations of Richard Wilbur and Michael Palmer.

Anonymous said...

Good to see you spreading the word on that Hoagland essay, Rob. I think everyone with an interest in contemporary poetry should read it.

Oh and Happy Christmas...

Roddy

Colin Will said...

Thanks for drawing my attention to the Hoagland essay Rob. His inclusion of Stephen Burt's 'Elliptical Poetry' reminds me that Robert Creeley's poetry was sometimes described as 'elliptical' in the 1960s, but without (AFAIR) definition of the term. It's exactly right, as is Hoagland's 'skittish'.

A.H. said...

It is good to see that you include "Payday Loans". It is a wonderful, witty pamphlet worthy of attention.