Army of Giants

Matthew Rohrer's Army of Giants is a diverse meditation on the ways in which the physical world intersects, overlaps, and informs the universe of the imagination. Formally audacious, these are poems that playfully engage with word constraint, iambic pentameter, and long-sentence forms, keeping us in a constant state of surprise and curiosity. By sanctifying everything from lava lamps, cemeteries, and clouds to literary heroes such as Anna Akhmatova, Chika Sagawa, and Lewis Warsh, Matthew Rohrer continues his project of uncovering wonder wherever it can found. In poems that rise and build toward a gigantic peak at the center,Army of Giantsprovides new poetic vistas from which we can contemplate the worlds we inhabit.

Table of Contents:
ContentsARMY OF THE DEAD PRISONERS THE GOOSE LEADER WE SHALL OVERCOME A LONELY TRUMPET THE HANDOFF DARKENED LIGHTHOUSE SUNDAY NIGHT NOTHING’S WORSE PASSED OVER MY NEIGHBOR AT MY LOWEST POINT GREENWOOD BIRTHDAY POEM SWEET DREAMS ARMY OF GIANTS 49 THE WINTER SUN ARBORETUM NATURE POEM ABOUT FLOWERS SONGS OF WEST RIVER LAVA LAMP THE LITTLE MEN OF THE FOREST ARMY OF POETS JEREMY STILL HAILING IN THE MOUNTAINS LOVE POEM (FROM THE ARAN ISLANDS) SKYLARK FOLLOW THEM VILETTE VILLANELLE THE PALACE OF JUSTICE FOR A FARRIER POEMS FOR ANNA AHKMATOVA POEM FOR CHIKA SAGAWA THE HEART SONNET THE MAGIC BOX POEM FOR REGINALD SHEPHERD POEM FOR LEWIS WARSH POEM AN EVENING OF EZRA POUND POEM FOR MIROSLAV HOLUB GRACE YEVTUSHENKO WAS THE KING

About the Author :
Matthew Rohreris the author ofThe Sky Contains the Plans(Wave Books, 2020),The Others(Wave Books, 2017), which was the winner of the 2017 Believer Book Award,Surrounded by Friends(Wave Books, 2015),Destroyer and Preserver(Wave Books, 2011),A Plate of Chicken(Ugly Duckling Presse, 2009),Rise Up(Wave Books, 2007) andA Green Light(Verse Press, 2004), which was shortlisted for the 2005 Griffin Poetry Prize. He is also the author ofSatellite(Verse Press, 2001), and co-author, with Joshua Beckman, ofNice Hat. Thanks.(Verse Press, 2002), and the audio CDAdventures While Preaching the Gospel of Beauty. He has appeared on NPR'sAll Things ConsideredandThe Next Big Thing. His first book,A Hummock in the Malookaswas selected for the National Poetry Series by Mary Oliver in 1994. He lives in Brooklyn, New York, and teaches at NYU. He can be reached atluminousfork@gmail.com.

Review :
Even through the clamor of war, garbage trucks, stolen cars, and crying babies, Rohrer maintains an alluring tranquility, a Taoist chill to temper a casualness that might otherwise get flagged as too hip. Li Po and Rumi drink jugs of wine, “Wu Wei" presides calmly over the lovely closing poem that takes his name, and clouds drift from one poem to the next. Michael Brodeur, The Boston Globe Rohrer’s frequently beautiful, brief poems are rooted in specific images that initially seem unrelated—but which ultimately form a unity as meditations on how the ordinary distractions of everyday life can be seen as the source for almost everything important in life. Ken Tucker, Entertainment Weekly Rohrer writes poems that crackle and sputter, often branching toward new meaning and emotion within the span of a single line. Publishers Weekly