Michael Londra

Poetry Review: “A Violence” from Within — Paula Bohince’s Switchblade Lyricism

February 11, 2026
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You can almost hear the volume whispering in your ear, “Be like lichen.” Traumatic grief, political tyranny, and environmental catastrophe are not irreversible.

Poetry Review: The Devil’s Sonnets — John Berryman’s “Only Sing”

December 23, 2025
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Poet John Berryman’s choice of minstrelsy in his “Dream Songs” is not just a distraction that can be explained away by aficionados — it is impossible to excuse or forgive.

Book Review: “Crimean Fig” — Everything Has Its Own Soul

November 21, 2025
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The authors assembled in “Crimean Fig” demonstrate they are unafraid to speak up for Tatar language and culture, while simultaneously speaking out against Putin, unwilling to submit.

Book Review: Putting Words into Dreams — Poet May Swenson

November 5, 2025
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Optimistic, a canny survivor, relentless, genderfluid—poet May Swenson described herself as “I am one of those to whom miracles happen.”

Poetry Review: Askold Melnyczuk’s “The Venus of Odesa” — A Jukebox of One-Hit Wonders

September 19, 2025
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Of special interest is Askold Melnyczuk’s treatment of objects. His imagination transforms curios into uncanny artefacts.

Book Review: Alexandria’s Sphinx — “Constantine Cavafy: A New Biography”

August 26, 2025
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Unable to place Cavafy in a holistic context, momentum is never sustained. Key points remain scattered, unintegrated.

Book Review: “A Day Like Any Other: The Life of James Schuyler” — A Hymn to Life

August 10, 2025
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As befits a prolific and distinguished poet, renowned for his visionary instincts and signature compositional technique, Nathan Kernan has produced an account of James Schuyler that is as morally serious as his subject.

Poetry Review: Words into Truth — Henri Cole’s “The Other Love”

July 8, 2025
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There are reassuring lyrics here that suggest that, no matter what terror comes along, our noble charge is to fight to the end, joyously.

Poetry Review: Ode to Sisterhood — Barbara Henning’s “Girlfriend”

June 28, 2025
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Chronicling acts of feminist sisterhood, “Girlfriend” memorializes a mutual support system that has been among the backbones of American life.

Book Review: Life in a State of Sparkle — The Writings of David Shapiro

May 23, 2025
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While David Shapiro’s criticism is audacious, his interviews are self-deprecating and offbeat, filled with surprising reveals.

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