What I've Been Reading:

Decreation, Anne Carson (again). The essay about Sappho, Marguerite Porete, and Simone Weil, and the idea of decreation in the lives and work of these three women, is fascinating. And it adds to the pleasure of the poem-opera, "Decreation," that follows. Carson is brilliant.

Radio Crackling, Radio Gone, Lisa Olstein. The newest Hayden Carruth Award winner's first book. "Down to the Finest Particles of Every Spiraling Strand" is wonderful. Congrats!

Whirligig, Christopher Salerno. Good poems throughout. Interesting cover (is that a propeller coming out of the toy's butt?). From Spuyten Duyvil Press.

The Silver Palace Restaurant, Mark Abley. I bought this book for the pat of very real-looking butter melting in a cast iron skillet on its wonderful cover. I love the series of Pinocchio poems that open the collection. From the same Canadian press that published Rachel Rose's Giving My Body to Science.

When the Eye Forms, Dwaine Rieves. Yet another book of poems from yet another poet-doctor (we could start a club, or at least a support group, hehehe). I enjoyed the poems, their light-hearted playfulness, but was his Washington DC clinic really called "The Gay Men's VD Clinic?" VD?

Ooga-Booga, Frederick Seidel. Just started this one. He is such a wise guy. The Jack Nicholson of poetry, I'd say.

Body Language: Poems of the Medical Training Experience. From students to interns to residents to attendings. A large number of family physicians and ER docs represented here. Hmmm.

The Martini, Barnaby Conrad III: a gift from from a friend. Full of history and wonderful photos of movie stars boozing it up.