I am helping to extol a recent publication, which may well be the best gift book of poetry imaginable. Irresistible Sonnets, edited by Mary Meriam, gathers 71 sonnets by 71 living poets, including the likes of Geoffrey Hill and A. E. Stallings. The Introduction tells us that “the editor travelled for several decades throughout the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, and Australia (with side trips to Finland, France, and Greece) to collect the rarest, most beautiful, most irresistible contemporary sonnets. The trip was fruitful. Among many colorful characters, the editor found Old Tom in the garden, a bull rider from the American West, God’s secretary in His Office, the magician’s bashful daughter, and Aunt Mim and Uncle Jimmy at the Rehab Lounge.” I’m pleased and proud to have one of my own sonnets included in this collection (The magician’s bashful daughter was hiding with me!).
Irresistible Sonnets!
