New and Selected Poems

Ryan is a scrupulously observant poet with a gift for going for the jugular . . . His work is finely honed provocative questing and humane. Edward Hirsch Washington Post Book World. Michael Ryans first collection in many years shows the acclaimed poet at the height of his powers. Highlighting the wit and passion displayed throughout his career Ryans latest work comprises fifty-seven poems from three award-winning volumes and thirty-one new poems. In both dramatic lyrics and complex narratives Ryan renders the world with startling clarity freshness and intimacy. New and Selected Poems is filled with the stuff of everyday life and as the New York Times Book Review said it include[s] pain and fear but also surprise joy laughter everything human.. New and Selected Poems reminds us how much we have relied on this poet to forge a path for us in plain style. Carol Muske-Dukes Los Angeles Times Book Review. Ryan''s poems have always felt as if they neded to be written. They seem to exist because of some pressure to respond not because of a facility for language alone. This is a rare quality among poets. The commitment to it is as hard-won and real as any you are likely to find in poetry. David Rivard American Poetry Review. Michael Ryan is the author of many acclaimed books including three previous volumes of poetry. Among the honors for his work are the prestigious Kingsley Tufts Award the Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize a Whiting Writers Award and NEA and Guggenheim fellowships. Ryan is a professor of English and creative writing at the University of California at Irvine.