WATCH YOUR LANGUAGE Visual and Literary Reflections on a Century of American Poetry

Every now and then a chime rings in this audiobook, directing the listener to the related image file (which is interesting, but not essential). This is not so useful to those who listen while on the move--fortunately, the visuals are not required to follow the text. Not that Terrance Hayes's text is always easy to follow; it blends prose poems, reviews, and short essays in a survey of the last hundred years of American poetry, with a special emphasis on Black authors. The text is difficult in the same ways that good poetry and challenging academic writing are often difficult and demand the listener's involvement. But Hayes's voice is warm and invites the listener to share the experience. D.M.H. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPTEMBER 2023]