I BUY POETRY (2014)

I'm blessed to receive many complimentary copies and so my annual lists of "Bought Poetry" never reflect my total or typical reading habits. But I do want my role as a poet to include supporting others' books by purchasing them, to the extent one has the funds. I believe in putting my money where my eyes see, for instance this huge COLLECTED by Larry Eigner edited by Curtis Faville and Robert Grenier--haven't unwrapped that saran wrap yet but I love the commitment manifested through scale (I knew it was four volumes but hadn't realized the books were significantly larger than the usual 6 x 9):

Still, I usually disappoint myself when I realize, at year's end, how many poetry books I bought (or did not buy). The list below features the 84 books of poetry, other genres but written by poets, or books on poets/poetry I purchased in 2014. It's an improvement from the prior year’s buying record of merely 58 books.  But I can still do better.  Here were 2014's purchases:

POETRY COLLECTIONS

HOURGLASS MUSEUM by Kelli Russell Agodon

PORT LIGHT: A HAY(NA)KU COLLECTION by William Allegrezza

THE REEF by Elizabeth Arnold

BINDWEED by Christianne Balk

AMULET by Jason Bayani

WATCHING THE WINDOWS SLEEP by Tantra Bensko

BOUGH BREAKS by Tamiko Beyer

EURYDICE’S SONG, poems by William Borden and monotypes by Douglas Kinsey

ECODEVIANCE: (SOMA)TICS FOR THE FUTURE WILDERNESS by CAConrad

A BEAUTIFUL MARSUPIAL AFTERNOON: NEW (SOMA)TICS by CAConrad

COLLECTED POEMS by Joseph Ceravoloa 

NOTEBOOK OF A RETURN TO THE NATIVE LAND by Aime Cesaire, Translated and Edited by Clayton Eshleman and Annette Smith

CONTRABAND OF HOOPOE by Ewa Chrusciel

HOROSCOPES FOR THE DEAD by Billy Collins

THE BARONS by Joshua Corey

AUTOBIOGRAPHIES by Alfred Corn

NOTHING MORE TO LOSE by Najwan Darwish, Translated from the Arabic by Kareem James Abu-Zeid

POST SUBJECT: A FABLE by Oliver de la Paz

THE POETRY DEAL by Diane di Prima

GOOD HOPE ROAD by Stuart Dischell

WEAR WHITE AND GRIEVE by Jennifer Diskin

BLOWOUT by Denise Duhamel

THE COLLECTED POEMS OF LARRY EIGNER, VOLUMES 1-4, Edited by Curtis Faville and Robert Grenier

GREAT GUNS by Farnoosh Fathi

PRESENTATION PIECE by Marilyn Hacker

THE OLD LIFE by Donald Hall

NOTEBOOKS OF A CHILE VERDE SMUGGLER by Juan Felipe Herrerra

SPONTANEOUS PARTICULARS: THE TELEPATHY OF ARCHIVES by Susan Howe

STRANDS by Keri Hulme

ODE TO THE HEART SMALLER THAN A PENCIL by Luisa A. Igloria

AGAINST THE EVIDENCE: SELECTED POEMS 1934-1994 by David Ignatow

A FORM OF OPTIMISM by Roy Jacobstein

THE COMPLETE POEMS by Randall Jarrell

ASTONISHMENTS: SELECTED POEMS OF ANNA KAMIENSKA, Edited and Translated by Grazyna Drabik and David Curzon

CONSTANCE: POEMS by Jane Kenyon

DOUBLESPACE: POEMS 1971-1989 by Hank Lazer

THE HOAX OF CONTAGION by Michael Leong

THE BLACK UNICORN by Audrey Lorde

THE LOST LUNAR BAEDEKER: POEMS OF MINA LOY

THE COUNTRY I REMEMBER by David Mason

TO KEEP TIME by Joseph Massey

MIDWINTER DAY by Bernadette Mayer

THE FEEL TRIO by Fred Moten

THE OPEN SECRET by Jennifer Moxley

CIVIL WAR POETRY: AN ANTHOLOGY, Edited by Paul Negri

BLUETS by Maggie Nelson

DISOBEDIENCE by Alice Notley

GREEN AND GRAY by Geoffrey G. O’Brien

MISSING THE MOON by Bin Ramke

CITIZEN: AN AMERICAN LYRIC by Claudia Rankine

DON’T LET ME BE LONELY: AN AMERICAN LYRIC by Claudia Rankine

NOTHING IN NATURE IS PRIVATE by Claudia Rankine

THE END OF THE ALPHABET: POEMS by Claudia Rankine

SMALL WORKS by Pam Rehm

THE DAY OF SHELLY’S DEATH by Renato Rosaldo

SOMETHING PERMANENT, photographs by Walker Evans and poetry by Cynthia Rylant

INTERVAL by Kaia Sand

THE CASTING OF BELLS by Jaroslav Seifert, Trans. From the Czech by Paul Jagasich & Tom O’Grady

FOR by Carol Snow

OF COLLOCATED RHYTHMS by Felino A. Soriano

V: WAVESON.NETS / LOSING L’UNA by Stephanie Strickland

147 MILLION ORPHANS (MMXI-MML) by Eileen R. Tabios

SUN STIGMATA (SCULPTURE POEMS) by Eileen R. Tabios

VERSES TYPHOON YOLANDA: A STORM OF FILIPINO POETS, Edited by Eileen R. Tabios

NEAR CHANGES: POEMS by Mona Van Duyn

RELIQUARIA by R.A. Villanueva (University of Nebraska Press, 2014)

MEMORY HOLES by Erin Virgil  

BLINDSIGHT by Rosmarie Waldrop 

DRIVEN TO ABSTRACTION by Rosmarie Waldrop 

SESTETS by Charles Wright

ARACHNID NEBULA by Mark Young

BOOKS IN OTHER GENRES BY, OR ON, POETS

AN ARMY OF LOVERS, novel by David Buuck and Juliana Spahr

RETRIEVALS, essays by Garrett Caples

E.E. CUMMINGS: A LIFE, biography by Susan Cheever

DICKINSON UNBOUND: PAPER, PROCESS, POETICS, literary study by Alexandra Socarides

THE DESCARTES HIGHLANDS, novel by Eric Gamalinda

APOPHALLATION SKETCHES: A THEATER OF AFFECTIVE EXTREMES / STRENUOUS ESSAYS FOR THE SENSES by j/j hastain

KULCHUR GIRL: NOTES FROM BERKELEY 1965, diary notes by Rachel Loden

THERE ARE THINGS WE LIVE AMONG: ESSAYS ON THE OBJECT WORLD by Jennifer Moxley

THE NOTHING THAT IS, autobiography by John Olson

HOW PHENOMENA APPEARS TO UNFOLD, essays and poetric pieces by Leslie Scalapino

WHAT POETS ARE LIKE: UP AND DOWN WITH THE WRITING LIFE, memoir by Gary Soto

MIDNIGHT PEACHES, TWO O’CLOCK PATIENCE, essays, poems and short stories by Janet Stickmon

CRUSHING SOFT RUBIES, memoir by Janet Stickmon