books 2008: Chattahoochee, by Patrick Phillips
Read this one yesterday too. I was feelin' the poetry. I found out about this book at the Greensboro Review reading at AWP in Atlanta last year--the book had just come out and Patrick Phillips read some of the poems. I was so impressed I hung on to the name of the book, and snagged it (on sale!) at AWP this year. Phillips's new book has just come out, and he was signing it at its publisher's table, but he graciously signed this book for me. He's very nice.
Anyway, this book is lovely. About family and childhood and relationships between brothers and brothers and fathers and sons. Really vivid, really good stories. I also liked how he played with form--there are a few, um, what's the word, the arabic form with the couplets and the refrain, I'm thinking pantoum but I know that's wrong. I can't believe I'm not thinking of it. Anyway, there are a few of those and they're lovely. I also really liked "Blue Ridge Bestiary", which if you know my taste in poems is kind of surprising because I generally like my poems to have people in them, but this series was really very nice, and neatly tied up. I appreciate that in a poem too.
"My Lovely Assistant" is a terrific poem, possibly my favorite in the book. The kind of poem that makes me thank god I never had a brother. I am tired and I'm not going to rekey it, but look how thoughtful I am: I googled it and discovered that StorySouth featured five poems from this book, including "My Lovely Assistant"! You can read these excellent poems online!
Anyway, this book is lovely. About family and childhood and relationships between brothers and brothers and fathers and sons. Really vivid, really good stories. I also liked how he played with form--there are a few, um, what's the word, the arabic form with the couplets and the refrain, I'm thinking pantoum but I know that's wrong. I can't believe I'm not thinking of it. Anyway, there are a few of those and they're lovely. I also really liked "Blue Ridge Bestiary", which if you know my taste in poems is kind of surprising because I generally like my poems to have people in them, but this series was really very nice, and neatly tied up. I appreciate that in a poem too.
"My Lovely Assistant" is a terrific poem, possibly my favorite in the book. The kind of poem that makes me thank god I never had a brother. I am tired and I'm not going to rekey it, but look how thoughtful I am: I googled it and discovered that StorySouth featured five poems from this book, including "My Lovely Assistant"! You can read these excellent poems online!