Poetry Reviews

Siglio Press, 45 (332p) ISBN 978-1-9382-2125-5 This beautiful, large-format book combines over a thousand of Mayer’s photographs (Mayer shot a roll of film every day during the month of July in 1971) with poems and stream-of-consciousness writing. With infrequent end punctuation, the text feels immersive, an intimate journal that includes road trips, questions about God, and movie plots juxtaposed against photos from the quotidian (laundry in the sink, subway platforms, a naked man from behind). Wave Books, 16 (112p) ISBN 978-1-950268-04-7 The latest from Rohrer (The Others) is a surreal experiment in which the poet conceived of each poem’s title and first line immediately upon waking, then crafted additional lines around the initial dream-state premise. Triquarterly Books, 29.95 (264p) ISBN 978-0-8101-4201-5 National Book Award–winner Finney (Head Off & Split) returns with her first collection in a decade, artfully interweaving memories from her life with episodes from throughout black history.