Contemporary poetry: a rich landscape

Abstract

Contemporary poetry is a rich landscape of voices and visions. With over 1,300 new poetry titles to choose from each year, how can librarians make the best acquisitions for their communities? Two resource lists from Poets House ‐ a 35,000 poetry library and literary center ‐ offer a starting point. “1996 Poetry Publication Showcase Suggested Titles” highlights a wide variety of selections from Poet House’s annual exhibit of all the year’s new poetry books. “Where To Find Poetry Reviews” gathers information on directories, literary journals and Web sites that review poetry on a regular basis. These materials were originally distributed at the 1997 American Library Association Conference, where Poets House exhibited the entire 1996 showcase and presented poetry readings and a panel discussion entitled “Building Poetry Audiences in Community Libraries”.