Miller Williams (1930–2015)

Has anyone else noticed that this book is filled with examples of excellent poetry that are all, with the exception of a few from Dickinson, written by men, while most of the examples of poor poetry are written by women? And some of the examples of excellence are truly misogynistic pieces on the cruelty and deceptive beauty of women? Am I alone here? I know it was published in 1959, but really? REALLY?!

The guy clearly knows his craft, and there are some excellent pieces of guidance in here, show more but his obvious bias against women poets has become tiresome.

Not to mention this gem from page 2, in which he bemoans America's sports-obsessed culture in comparison with the literary culture of other countries: "...even retarded boys in the United States are capable of reciting endlessly detailed football stories..."

This era I inhabit sure ain't perfect, but I am so glad I don't live in 1959. show less

Many of the poems chosen as illustrations are ones I found myself skipping over, either because of their sheer length or because they looked more modernist than I like, but the explanatory prose was almost all very sensible, including some points that gave insight on why I instinctively like some particular poems, and bears much thinking on both as a reader of poetry and as a poet. I really need to reread this with a pad in hand and take notes.

Railroad is a curious collection of articles, short histories and biographies, poems, songs, first person accounts, fiction and facts about various facets of railroading (slang, explanation of signals and their meaning, bridges, etc.) whose overarching theme is perhaps best described as melancholy.

The short histories cover such things as the evolution of the idea of steam powered transport starting with the 1641 efforts of the Frenchman Solomon de Caus, the underground railroad in the show more United States, the wild financial exploits of Drew, Vanderbilt, Fisk, and Gould, and the labor strife of blacks and whites in the U.S. in the 19th and 20th Centuries.

The biographies provide a glimpse into the lives of Casey Jones, Kate Shelly, and Thomas Edison among others. The first-person accounts cover some of the “roads less taken”. There’s a sketch of life in a hobo camp (Charles Chrysler), a reflection on a life with a father who was a boiler maker (Otto Salassi), what it was like working in the dining cars ( Joe Monroe) and others.

The fiction runs the gamut from the grim to the almost unintelligible and this reviewer did not find any of it particularly interesting. The same is true for a lot of the cited poetry.

Overall I don’t begrudge the time spent reading but it is not a book I am likely to revisit.

(Text Length – 185 pages. Includes numerous pictures, illustrations, maps, etc.) (Book Dimensions inches LxWxH – 8.5 x .625 x 10.875). show less

At once an introduction to the art of poetry and a selection of poetry both fine and interesting. The authors attempt to penetrate the mystery that surrounds poetry with some success. One may not agree with all of their opinions but the experience of engaging with poetry under their direction yields benefits that lead to more enjoyment of poetry going forward.