Joey Madia, New Mystics Reviews

Review of Highest Hurdle Press’s Letterhead Vol. 2 (Edited by Bradley Lastname, Christopher Robin, Brian McMahon, Robert Pomerhn, and Eric Johnt, Highest Hurdle Press, 2008) {Disclaimer: Two of my poems appear in this collection. They are not mentioned in this review.} In 2008 I had the distinct pleasure of reviewing Letterhead Volume #1. At the time I thought it quite the impressive undertaking, bringing together so many different types of poets from so many areas of the United States. Readers of that review (and that volume) will be pleased to know that Vol. 2 builds upon both the scope and quality of its predecessor, retaining all of its best qualities while striking new ground in content and form and offering what co-editor Bradley Lastname recently explained to me is a “…darker selection of work, because the times we live in are darker.” Amen. Embroiled as we are in a time of ongoing wars and global economic and environmental crises (the key subjects explored), the role of the poe...

(Highest Hurdle Press, 2007, $15.00) Highest Hurdle Press’s latest collection of poetry, Letterhead Volume #1, is a collection of poetry in three sections—the first is a selection of nationally known small and independent press poets, including Mark Sonnenfeld and Joe Verrilli; the next section is an exchange of letters and poems between co-editor Robert Pomerhn and Roarshock editor Harvey Goldner (to whom the volume is dedicated); the third section includes selections by, as the introduction states, “Buffalo [NY] poets and the far-flung members of the Buffalo diaspora.” Over the course of the three sections, which together present about 75 pieces from 33 poets, we get a little bit of everything (I once again quote the introduction): “confessional poetry, spoken word/slam poetry, vispo, experimental verse, mail art, correspondence, found poetry, political poetry, and collage.” This seems like a great expanse of styles to contain in one collection, but Highest Hurdle Press seems able to...