[The following essay was originally published at the end of summer, back in
2014, but as you prepare to head to the beach in the next couple of months with
a book at
This month, as we transition from the good work of poetry editor Mike Liaw, and
before we enjoy the good work of new poetry editor Amy Katherine Cannon, we will
be pulling poems
Almost all the Highland Games’ events involve throwing things that should really
be left alone. There’s the Hammer Throw, the Stone Putt, the Braemar Stone Putt
(like the Stone Putt but with
When I get that hand of Jesus in my teeth,
his blood cascading down my chin,
I believe but help my unbelief —
to my spirit preach
a gospel of bruised red grapes and
“This poem can change a person’s entire way of being,” my professor Chad
Wriglesworth said of Denise Levertov’s “Caedmon.” A high claim for a poem—and
it’s true for me.