Poets Against the War

Led by poet Sam Hamill, February 12, 2003 became a day of Poetry Against the War conducted as a reading at the White House gates in addition to over 160 public readings in many different countries and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1560255390
• ISBN13: 9781560255390
• Release Date: May 2003
• Publisher: Nation Books
• Length: 200 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 7.8" x 0.8" x 5.3"

Customer Reviews

breadth, if not depth

This book grew from "Days of Poetry Against the War" in early 2003, which was itself a response to the cancellation of Laura Bush's "Poetry and the American Voice" symposium - a cancellation that occurred when some of the invited poets suggested that the event might be an occasion for social and artistic protest of the looming invasion of Iraq. Sam Hamill set up a website and invited all comers to submit a poem against the war. He got 13,000 poems. This book includes 262 poets. Many of the authors are obviously dabblers in poetry rather than Poets. I hate to discriminate like that, but the fact is that few of these poems are well-written. Some are sentimental, some are clichéd, and many of them feel like early drafts of something that might one day be good. Dabblers often stop there, but Poets keep revising until the heart of the poem emerges, often in very different form than the initial trigger. Notable exceptions are the great poems from Robert Bly, Robert Creeley, Steven Kuusisto, David Ray and Adrienne Rich, among others. But what makes this collection so readable in spite of the dabblers is the depth of emotion and the breadth of American society that's represented. One gets the feeling while reading that there really is a conscience in our nation, and it recognizes media manipulation and objects to lies in the name purely political gains. It's ironic then that this book should so closely precede the start of the war and its tragic course, and the debacle of the 2004 elections. "Poets Against the War" proves William Carlos Williams' declaration (from "Asphodel, That Greeny Flower") that "It is difficult/ to get the news from poems/ yet men die miserably every day/ for lack/ of what is found there."

Powerful stuff - if you're ready to open up to it ;-)

Oh, no, it's not perfect. There are some poems I certainly can't agree with, some I merely don't like... but only a few. Most of this, however, is very powerful stuff, in its own quiet way. The book is no more than it purports to be: many voices that happen to agree on one single note - the wish that this war had not broken out (or not this way, or not yet, or not without trying more alternatives first, or...).Just many voices, that have chosen a peaceful means of voicing their opinion.

An amazing outpouring of voices

We got this book as a gift, and I was stunned by its power. Some of the poets and writers were long-time favorites: Adrienne Rich, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, WS Merwin, Mary Oliver, Terry Tempest Williams. Most I'd never had heard of. But what struck me was the humanity of the voices--how much they cut through the political abstractions of our time. And the distinctiveness of their voices. The critical review posted on this site obviously doesn't like the politics of this anthology--he wants a Poets for the War. But contrary to his assertion, this is the farthest collection imaginable from a single monolithic voice--but yes, the participants don't want this war. This is a great book to dip in and out of, browse through for a quick reflection, and use to anchor our humanity in these difficult times.Paul LoebAuthor Soul of a Citizen: Living With Conviction in a Cynical Time

Owning this book is owning a part of history...

Poetry doesn't receive much attention these days, but once in awhile, someone makes their mark. Not only did the editor Sam Hamill, make his mark in history, but these poets did as well.The collection is a marvelous array of styles, voices and energy all moving in one direction. This should be on the shelf of every poetry lover, every historian, and every person who appreciates peace and the right to free speech.Wonderful poems to be read and to be a part of.

Required Reading!

Not only is this anthology a must-read collection of who's who in contemporary poetry, it serves to deny Williams' dictum that it "is difficult to get the news from poems." These poets have "news" for you: Compassion, courage, true patriotism, the questioning of authority and the yearning for real peace are alive and burning in our hearts. It can be found here--we need not "die miserably every day..."