Talking with Poets

November 1, 2002
This volume offers interviews with five notable poets, all stemming from a course called "The Art of Poetry" taught by editor Thomas, who also heads up the publisher's new Handsel imprint. The interviews with Robert Pinsky, Seamus Heaney, Philip Levine, and David Ferry were conducted by Thomas's students, while the Michael Hoffman interview was conducted by Thomas, a colleague, and two students. Though the Hoffman interview focuses on important issues in the poet's writing, it lacks the energy that comes through the transcripts of the other interviews. The students prepared for their interviews by thoroughly familiarizing themselves with each poet's works, and it shows. The interviews, which cover important literary themes and writing techniques, are wonderful reading because of the students' excitement, to which the poets responded with enthusiasm and openness. Although a brief summary of each poet's education, teaching, and publishing background is provided, there is little in the way of an introduction, which makes it difficult to understand the decision to reprint the interviews here. (The Pinsky, Levine, and Ferry interviews were all previously published in Tri-Quarterly.) Still, this inexpensive volume provides good insight into the work of these poets and is recommended for modern poetry collections.-Paolina Taglienti, New York