Fifty years ago, Graywolf was founded as a poetry press. Raised by Wolves, a vibrant anthology commemorating the half-century, combines exemplary poems with commentary by fellow poets. Whatever the poem's length, the essay that follows is one page--condensed and erudite. Some responses reflect on the personal significance a poet or piece has had in the author's life over time. Others are more academic, remarking on style and subject matter. Graywolf poets whose work is discussed proceed to comment on others': that looping, and the meta perspective, make for a rich shared context.
Certain pairings are particularly inspired. Ukrainian American Ilya Kaminsky is well placed to appraise the wartime theme of Lebanese Vénus Khoury-Ghata. (Hers is one of five translated pieces, lending the anthology an international scope). "The Crowds Cheered as Gloom Galloped Away," Matthea Harvey's surreal prose poem, imagines tiny ponies serving as temporary mood enhancers: "Eventually, the ponies were no longer needed. People had learned to imagine their sadness trotting away." Mary Jo Bang's description of Harvey's piece is just as inventive: "The Breakfast Club meets Prozac Nation meets... Hasbro, Inc.'s toy franchise."
Trauma and nostalgia, death and hope alternate. One stanza of Liu Xiaobo's Tiananmen Square elegy employs a haunting "Forbidden" anaphora. Carl Phillips dubs Danez Smith's "gay cancer," an homage to queer Black forefathers, "the slyest sonnet ever." Nature takes precedence in unexpected ways: John Haines celebrates winter; Tracy K. Smith spares a dying bee; Susan Stewart's alliterative language hymns threatened forests. Raised by Wolves is a showcase of varied verse and a cornucopia of delights. --Rebecca Foster, freelance reviewer, proofreader and blogger at Bookish Beck