The Forward Book of Poetry

[lemonstar]

Which, if any would you recommend? Does anyone make a point of buying them on a regular basis or not rate them in general?

I bought my first and only one in 2000 and there are some poems I really treasure:-
John Burnside - The Asylum Dance
Caroline Carver - Horse Under Water
R S Thomas - Blackbird
August Kleinzahler - Sunday Morning
and a handful of other minor memorables.
so on that basis, I'd recommend it if you were buying it, as I usually do, for a small sum from a used bookshop. as with most collections there are poems that just leave me cold, or confused or worse; irritated perhaps.

I just picked up the 2008 book from Oxfam - it will take a few passes to pick out the magnetic ones - I bought it, like I do with many books, for the joy of speculation - of what might be in it but David Harsent's The Hut In Question was enough to hook me in to the book but I also liked the poems on the next few pages - Lorraine Mariner's Thursday, all but the last part of Alice Oswalds Dunt, Carole Satyamurti's The Day I Knew I Wouldn't Live Forever and Myra Schneider's Goulash - enough to think it was worth £2 anyway.

My one complaint about these collections is that the book is published before the various awards are given out - I don't know why they don't just wait until they have been.

[Ros]

I have a few that, like you, I've found second hand. Generally I'm not so keen on the selected sections from books, but some of the individual poems are good. I suppose they want the book available for when the prizes are announced, as that's probably the only time they sell any.

I have.. erm.. 1993, 2001, 2011 and 2013. Seem to remember 2013 was disappointing.

Ros

[Antcliff]

I'm afraid I do not have a copy of any.
I remember you praising that Asylum Dance poems a few years ago, Lemonstar

Seth