BOOK RECOMMENDATION

SAN DIEGO POETRY ANNUAL 2011 - 12: THE BEST POEMS FROM EVERY CORNER OF THE REGION

(Rainbow, CA: Garden Oak Press, 2012)

   The  San Diego poetry scene thrives, enriched by its diverse voices.  This is most apparent in SAN DIEGO POETRY ANNUAL 2011 - 12 which brings together the talents of 226 poets (326 poems), including an expanded bilingual section, in its sixth, and largest, collection.  These poets offer a wide range of sensibilities and subjects which embody the complexities of the region.

   It's no surprise that poetry of place figures prominently in this edition -- whether it's Christina Buress speaking as Interstate 5:

          Beyond the twisted chain link fence

          past dry chaparral and scrub oak

          are twelve lanes of me

          source of roar

          rubber pursuing concrete on asphalt

or Linda Engel Amundson, in "On the Line," depicting the border, certainly as a demarcation, but also as a frame of mind full of friction and intimidation:

                                      ...that mark

          that says you may not enter

          let them show you badges

          then spit on the ground

          where all faults lie in wait

          San Andreas, San Jacinto, Coalinga

          ....

          [where, fixing a pick-up truck,

          guys] pass socket wrenches

          and drink Modelo

          wish for a good life

          for los ninos

          and beautiful women

          tattoos are a force field

          that keep the life sucking

          gringos away.

And, like San Diego County itself, beach, suburban, mountain and desert settings particularize many of these poems, though some poets look beyond their home turf to Lake Tahoe, Hawaii, Omaha Beach and Monet's garden at Giverney.

   In this sixth edition of the poetry annual, you'll find truth-telling -- as when Trish Dugger admits

          ...

          like maybe I'm

          the only one

          who doesn't get

          the red wheel

          barrow

          and the white

          chickens

          the rain    yeah

          I get the rain

-- or tall tales, as when Jon Wesick warns us in his hilarious "Polar Bears Make Bad Neighbors"

          especially the one with jailhouse tattoos.

          Like, I'm supposed to believe those teardrops

          are just for ringed seals!

          ...

          He never works.  All he does

          is sit around the pool in his Speedos.

   Dip into the talent and scope of the San Diego poetry scene.   SAN DIEGO POETRY ANNUAL  2011 - 12 is both engaging and comprehensive.  Enjoy.