SHSU Common Reader 2021: Counting Descent

Contemporary American poetry has plenty to offer new readers, and plenty more for those who already follow it. Yet its difficulty and sheer variety leaves many readers puzzled or overwhelmed. The critic, scholar, and poet Stephanie Burt sets out to help. The Poem Is You will appeal to poets, teachers, and students, but it is intended especially for readers who want to learn more about contemporary American poetry but who have not known where or how to start. It describes what American poets have fashioned for one another, and what they can give us today.

Award-winning New York Times Book Review poetry columnist David Orr delivers an engaging, amusing, and stimulating tour through the world of poetry. With echoes of Francine Prose's Reading Like a Writer, Orr's Beautiful & Pointless offers a smart and funny approach to appreciating an art form that many find difficult to embrace.