China's Tang and Sung Dynasties brought with them some of the finest poetry in literary history. Many renowned artists emerged during this period, including two of China's greatest poets: Li Bai and Du Fu. The Chinese poem of that time is a wonderfully deft piece of work. Tight but full, its structure suggests something beyond basic imaging. What the Chinese poem does so well is allow its reader the freedom to move within its image and participate with the environment. Here, the poem begins to glow. "Poems of the Masters", with Red Pine's lucid and well-informed translation, allows this aspect of Chinese poetry to flower without any feeling of dry, literal interpretation or overindulgence. There's also plenty of historical gimmies and each poem is accompanied by its original Chinese characters. This is really a wonderful book.

Rebecca Ann Parker and Rita Nakashima Brock both deliver deeply personal accounts of their darkened past, their call to faith(s), and the ever-increasing need to reexamine just what Christianity's most mythic symbol has allowed for not only in our societies, but in our internal landscape as well. One of the most rewarding books I've ever read, though at times very difficult to look in the eyes. A great read.

My favorite book of poetry! Komunyakaa is a master. Growing up with a strong love for jazz and the blues, these poems are composed with the kind of syncopation, endurance, and open-eyed reliance on the image that give this book the type of blood-sweat-and-tears work so many imitate, but very few can accomplish. Ranging on topics from Vietnam to Thelonious to childhood love, Komunyakaa writes with a heavy heart and a spirit of improv.