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"American cities are physical labyrinths, and also spiritual and metaphysical ones," poet and novelist Nicholas Christopher observes in his introduction to Walk on the Wild Side. "The business of the city poet is to chronicle, explore, excavate, and reflect the byways, recesses, and inner chambers of that labyrinth." This anthology, the first to plumb the maze of American urban life, gives us the city in all its forms: ethnic, economic, religious, political, sexual, intellectual. Here are 115 poems from sixty poets, representing over twenty cities. These are not just poems "about" cities, or with the city as subject; they filter and radiate the diversity and vitality of today's cities, from the electric night of New York to the sunblanked sprawl of Los Angeles, from the factories of Pittsburgh to the waterfront of New Orleans. A kinetic mix of new voices and established writers, Walk on the Wild Side presents the timeless themes of poetry - the hunger for love, the circularity of memory, the search for renewal, and the ceremonies of life and death - through the prism of our unique urban experience. In a time when the city dominates so much of our nation's consciousness, Walk on the Wild Side illuminates the city's riches and ills.
In cities like New York, Chicago, and San Francisco, poetry is reclaiming a place in our culture, as evidenced by hundreds of readings each month. With the city as its focus, Walk on the Wild Side is the first anthology to tap into the urban resurgence of American poetry. Features 120 poems.
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| $99.99 | Digital |
| WonderClub |
Milo Milic
reviewed Walk on the wild side on May 12, 2012
Walk on the wild side
60 poets, many of them well-published, familiar names, mixed with less well-known poets, contributed 115 poems to this anthology. The editor deliberately chose not to group the poems by specific city or region; the collection is arranged alphabetically by writer. Christopher used only work by American poets writing about or in American cities, and in his intro he discussed why he chose the year 1975.
In the interest of full disclosure, I enjoy themed anthologies. I almost always discover writers whose work I want to explore further, as well as enjoy the rhythm of familiar poets. This collection held far more hits than misses, although there were a few poems where I struggled to find anything specifically urban. There are poems I return to, lines that catch in my throat, take my breath, make me stop and close the book. It would be difficult to quote from or even list all of my favorites, and I feel a bit guilty mentioning just a few. Following is a sampling.
Many of the poems describe scenes found while walking through a city.
and there on the corner of Thirty-fourth and Fifth,
the man with the saxophone,
his fingerless gloves caked with grime,
his face also,
the layers of clothes welded to his skin.
(The Man with the Saxophone, Ai)
Then, on Broadway, red wings
in a storefront tableau, lustrous, the live macaws
preening, beaks opening and closing
like those animated knives that unfold all night
in jewelers’ windows.
(Broadway, Mark Doty)
Closest to the exit, rainbow trout examining the snow
That falls like bait, like a hundred vowels
In search of a language.
(The Consequences of Waking, by Vickie Karp)
There are poems that deal with crime.
The quarter-moon goes blank
Behind a cloud. He frames a picture
In his head, retraces his footsteps
To Shorty’s liquor store.
He will go in this time.
(The Cage Walker, Yusef Komunyakaa)
Carol Muske takes us on a kindergarten field trip.
Downtown, on the precinct wall,
hangs the map of Gang Territories,
blocks belonging to the red Bloods
or blue Crips.
(Field Trip, Carol Muske)
One of my absolute favorites:
The night we bailed out Jolene from Riker’s Island
tumbleweeds in such multitudes were blowing through the dark
it might almost have been Wyoming.
She’d turned larceny
against the bureaucracy into an art form.
When they raised the subway fare and simultaneously
cut back on Human Resources, Jolene
began jumping turnstiles as a matter of principle.
(Amaranth and Moly, Amy Clampett)
One of the most poignant poems in this collection is PBS, by Robert Mazzocco.
The ferries go out with the bodies from the morgue,
on a cool winter’s day, the ferries go out,
carrying off the bodies of strangers, who have been found,
desolate and alone, lost in the heart of the city.
Mazzocco goes on to describe Rikers Island inmates digging graves for burial in Potters Field.
Walk on the Wild Side is a wonderful collection of poetry that pulses with heartbeat of America’s cities.
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Add Walk on the wild side, American cities are physical labyrinths, and also spiritual and metaphysical ones, poet and novelist Nicholas Christopher observes in his introduction to Walk on the Wild Side. The business of the city poet is to chronicle, explore, excavate, and refle, Walk on the wild side to the inventory that you are selling on WonderClubX
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Add Walk on the wild side, American cities are physical labyrinths, and also spiritual and metaphysical ones, poet and novelist Nicholas Christopher observes in his introduction to Walk on the Wild Side. The business of the city poet is to chronicle, explore, excavate, and refle, Walk on the wild side to your collection on WonderClub |
