New Reviews: Poetry & Drama

This audiobook, which is reminiscent of a stream-of-consciousness poem, is an ode to basketball great Julius Irving. At the same time, it features the storytelling approach of a memoir, which poet Ross Gay enhances in his narration. He knows how to use intonation, when to ratchet up his energy, and when to gently slow the pace. Not everyone can narrate their own words, but Gay... Read More

A full cast from L.A. Theatre Works performs this short play about Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi, voiced by André Sogliuzzo, and his invention of the wireless telegraph. The use of antique Morse code and radio equipment gives a period ambiance to the production, though the dialogue often sounds more modern. The format of an old radio show features Marconi's daughter,... Read More

Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Diane Seuss reads her own work at a stately pace. Some listeners may find this hard to get used to, but it gives them the opportunity to think about the poems, rather than just experiencing them. They are a portrait of the author--who she is and how she became that person. Her love of Keats (the man and his work) is a theme, and the title poem is a... Read More

In narrating the three radio plays that open this audiobook, Simon Vance does not attempt to create voices for the many characters. Instead, he reads the tags that identify the speakers and provides each one with an emotional life. Postwar Polish writer Zbigniew Herbert's plays are mostly about philosophy anyway, so deep characterization is not so relevant. The poems here--like... Read More

Multitalented playwright/director/actor Colman Domingo gathered an internationally acclaimed cast to hit this spirited blend of social satire, love, responsibility, and grief out of the park. When an out-of-work actor (a superb Domingo) returns home to face the heartbreak of burying his late mother, he receives all kinds of advice--from his wild best friend (an energetic Alex... Read More