Six American Poets : An Anthology

Rating:
Summary: A well conceived and well executed anthology
Review: "Six American Poets," edited by Joel Conarroe, represents an interesting concept in a poetry anthology. Rather than cover a large number of poets who are represented by just a few poems each, Conarroe decided to focus on six pivotal United States poets and to offer a healthy sampling of some of their most compelling work. Happily, Conarroe succeeds in compiling an excellent volume.

The anthology starts off with the lusty humanism of Walt Whitman and the passionate wit of Emily Dickinson, and then presents some of the choicest fruits from the work of four 20th century greats: Wallace Stevens, William Carlos Williams, Robert Frost, and Langston Hughes. Along the way are some real masterpieces: Stevens' "Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird," WCW's poem about the "red wheel / barrow," Frost's "Mending Wall," Hughes' "Mother to Son," and many more.

As a whole, a wonderful variety of poetic forms and themes are represented. The concise but substantial author bios are another strong point of this volume. This book is a wonderful choice both for classroom use and for general reading. You also might want to check out this book's companion volume, "Eight American Poets," also edited by Conarroe.

Rating:
Summary: A well conceived and well executed anthology
Review: "Six American Poets," edited by Joel Conarroe, represents an interesting concept in a poetry anthology. Rather than cover a large number of poets who are represented by just a few poems each, Conarroe decided to focus on six pivotal United States poets and to offer a healthy sampling of some of their most compelling work. Happily, Conarroe succeeds in compiling an excellent volume.

The anthology starts off with the lusty humanism of Walt Whitman and the passionate wit of Emily Dickinson, and then presents some of the choicest fruits from the work of four 20th century greats: Wallace Stevens, William Carlos Williams, Robert Frost, and Langston Hughes. Along the way are some real masterpieces: Stevens' "Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird," WCW's poem about the "red wheel / barrow," Frost's "Mending Wall," Hughes' "Mother to Son," and many more.

As a whole, a wonderful variety of poetic forms and themes are represented. The concise but substantial author bios are another strong point of this volume. This book is a wonderful choice both for classroom use and for general reading. You also might want to check out this book's companion volume, "Eight American Poets," also edited by Conarroe.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent intro to six great American poets........
Review: .....if you are fairly new to poetry, as I am, then this book is an excellent introduction to American poetry. The book is divided such that a biography for each poet is presented prior to his/her most beloved poetry (as well as lesser known works). We thus learn about the poet and his/her motivations which help us view the poems from a better angle. For those who know and love poetry, this book is an excellent addition to one's home library. I know I will be eager to introduce my children to the poems contained in this anthology someday. My only criticism is that some of the most well known and beautiful poems have been edited down from their original lengths to only a few most loved passages. I hardly think it would have added that many more pages to the collection to present poems such as Whitman's "I Sing the Body Electric" and "Song of Myself" in their entirety! Fortunately, I have a copy of "Leaves of Grass" that a friend had given me ages ago.

Rating:
Summary: Timeless Collections
Review: This contains the entire works of six influential and distinctly American poets. A compilation of the works of Langston Hughes, Whitman, Frost, Stevens, William Carlos Williams, and Dickinson. This anthology was the result of the efforts of Joel Conarroe, who provides a great down-to-earth introduction as to why he put this together, and what influence poetry has had in his life. While a freshman in college decades ago, a classmate and mentor gave him some off the cuff advice that Conarroe would follow for the rest of his life. Before each author's segment there is a biography describing their life, motivations, and outlook. The book's size is smaller than most hardbacks, making it easy to take on trips both short and long.

Rating:
Summary: Timeless Collections
Review: This contains the entire works of six influential and distinctly American poets. A compilation of the works of Langston Hughes, Whitman, Frost, Stevens, William Carlos Williams, and Dickinson. This anthology was the result of the efforts of Joel Conarroe, who provides a great down-to-earth introduction as to why he put this together, and what influence poetry has had in his life. While a freshman in college decades ago, a classmate and mentor gave him some off the cuff advice that Conarroe would follow for the rest of his life. Before each author's segment there is a biography describing their life, motivations, and outlook. The book's size is smaller than most hardbacks, making it easy to take on trips both short and long.

Rating:
Summary: The All-Stars of American Poetry
Review: This volume of six major American poets should be considered a must-have for anyone with even a vague interest in American poetry. These are the giants in the American pantheon, and Conarroe knows just how to introduce them to the casual reader.

Unlike most anthologies, the number of poets is limited but a generous representation of their work is included along with an informative biography of each poet. This was the first book of poetry I ever owned. I now own a bookshelf full thanks to the introduction to poetry this little book provided to me.

Jeremy W. Forstadt