I guess I should make it clear right away that this volume of poems is not by Garrison Keillor, but a collection of poems selected and introduced by Garrison Keillor. But that being said, Garrison Keillor has excellent taste. These are poems he wants to share. He has included poems for all moods and all needs. I feel like I see more after I dip into the this book.
Perhaps what I like best, though, is written by Keillor. The book is introduced with an essay about what we read poetry, why poetry matters, what poems do for and to us. I think it should be required reading for every English teacher and every student. Let’s nip those “Why do we have to read this?” questions in the bud. Poetry is intense, courageous, honest; it’s free speech, he says, and I agree.
This book looks fresh and new. It’s a book you sit up and notice with it’s bright yellow cover. It demands your attention, but in a polite and pleasant way. And then you open it up and realize that there is something you need inside.