Overview

In DeWitt Henry's flowing, essay-style poems, surprising convergences and divergences arise as his varied subjects are explored, from a post-marathon bombing house-to-house search in Watertown, Massachusetts; Henry's roles as husband, father, brother-in-law, and grandfather are proffered through a motley lens. Unmatched since Alexander Pope, these essay-poems display wit, verbal playfulness, thoughtfulness, emotion, and personal reflection across an astonishing array of subjects. His poems, deep and cleverly funny, pose unique questions that haven't been asked in poetry before, leaving the reader in a state of wonder. Literary touchstones-Macbeth, The Merchant Of Venice, Romeo And Juliet\, and Hamlet-are combined with lived experience in these poems. Each represents a journey. How delightful are these extended meditations! Wisdom, wit, and learning characterize each narrative poem. Like the most captivating autobiographies, Do I Dream Or Wake? transcends its genre. The personal becomes universal through this enticing array of situations and circumstances. Discover yourself by opening it anywhere!

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9781965784075

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Reviews

DeWitt Henry's flowing, essay-like poems allow for sur-prising convergences and divergences as they probe their subject matter, which is as varied as a house-to-house search in Watertown, Mass, after the marathon bombing; a kaleidoscopic view of Henry's roles as husband, father, brother-in-law, and grandfather; and an account of a serious physical setback and the resulting medical intervention and later healing. The poems synthesize literary touchstones--including MACBETH, THE MERCHANT OF VENICE, ROMEO AND JULIET, and HAMLET--with the spectrum of lived experience. Each is a voyage; our travel is guided by the poet's ability to think deeply about who we are in relation to others and to ourselves. Jennifer BarberAuthor of THE SLIDING BOAT OUR BODIES MADE What pleasures are to be found in these extended med-itations! Each narrative is wise, witty, and learned. As in the most compelling autobiographies, DO I Dream OR Wake? transcends its genre. This captivating array of situations and circumstances transforms the personal into the universal. Open it anywhere and discover yourself! John SkoylesAuthor of YES AND NO These poems, on an astonishing array of subjects, are the wittiest, most verbally playful, most thoughtful and touching and personal essay-poems since Alexander Pope. Lloyd SchwartzPulitzer Prize-winning critic and Author of Who's on First? New and Selected Poems Profound and often profoundly, wryly funny, (his poems) ask questions poems don't seem to have asked before, and leaves this reader in wonder. Gail Mazur, author of Land's End: New and Selected Poems DeWitt Henry's lively riffs reveal how restless language can be as it shimmers and shifts from noun to verb, from history to headlines. Henry urges, like Sir Philip Sydney, to ""look in thy heart and write,"" as his chosen words, examined like life, fashion a bittersweet biography. Joyce Peseroff, author of Petition There is a strong current of social commentary running through the collection, which never crosses the line into polemic. Elizabeth Gauffreau, MasticadoresUSA

Author Information

Born in Wayne, PA. Radnor High School, 1959; A.B. Amherst College, 1963; M.A. in English, Harvard University, 1965; Ph.D.English, Harvard University, 1971; completed requirements for M.F.A. University of Iowa, 1968.Founding editor of Ploughshares literary magazine, and active editor and director 1971-1995. Interim Director of Ploughshares 6/2007-10/2008. Professor Emeritus, Emerson College, 2016-present. Professor, Writing, Literature, and Publishing, Emerson College, 2006-2015; Associate Professor 1989 to 2006: hired as Assistant Professor 1983; Acting Chairperson 1987-8; Chairperson1989-93.DeWitt is also a contributing editor to Solstice: A Magazine of Diverse Voices (2013-) and to The Woven Tale Press: Arts and LiteraryJournal (2016-).

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