Author Description

An anthology of original poetry by previously-unpublished young writers, gathered by Bruce Edward Taylor in a 1973 nationwide search. "Any editor," says Taylor, "operating with conscience, has personal and professional tastes, a brand of poetry he or she prefers. I have tried to remain as objective as possible and present a selection that cuts across any stylistic, aesthetic, or geographic lines to be representative, as representative as any sampling can ever be, of poetry that is being written in the United States today." From the start this book was intended for use in the classroom as well as for general reading. Consequently, Taylor was especially interested in aggressively accessible poems, poems that would easily initiate the novice as well as excite the experienced reader of contemporary poetry. Above all he wanted poems that would dispel some malingering clichés about contemporary poetry - that it is excessively obscure, that it is formless and lacking of craft, that it is convoluted and incestuous. Some or all of these things may have been true of some of our poetry at one time. It is not now. The poems themselves will demonstrate that. The editor was hopeful that this anthology might provide a small glimpse of what the future held, of the type of poetry and a few of the poets who would very soon be lending their talent to the poetry of the 70s, 80s and 90s. Among these emerging poets were: James Reiss, Lloyd Schwartz, John Balaban, Leon Stokesbury, Michael Ryan, Al Zolynas, Carol Muske, Ira Sadoff, Maura Stanton, George Barlow, R. S. Gwynn, Olga Brumas (now spelled Broumas), Rita F. Dove and others.