“Zapruder’s poems have a directness and verve that are reminiscent of Frank O’Hara; they’re poems for everyone, everywhere, insisting that everything is subject for poetry, and that all language is poetic language, democratic in its insights and feelings.” —NPR“[Why Poetry] is a roaring success … I suspect he is a terrific teacher. His readings of poems are subtle and convincing. I found myself thinking, ‘Gosh, I never saw that obvious thing in quite that way before,’ many times during my reading, which is precisely what should happen when reading about literature.” —New York Times Books Review“Zapruder is indeed a hip lyricist, one from whom we should look forward to hearing more in the future . . . Zapruder’s poems don’t merely attempt beauty; they attain it.” —Boston Globe
“A consistently surprising work that shows novices how they can navigate poetry while providing a wonderful re-education for anyone who was taught to dissect a poem as if it were a dead frog. Even serious writers will find fresh inspiration here as Zapruder, an astute teacher and writer, reminds us to seek ‘words that shine forth, are activated, light up, almost as if plugged in.’” — Washington Post
BUY:
Powell’s
Ecco/Harper Collins
Indiebound
Amazon
REVIEWS:
Washington Post
Los Angeles Review of Books
New York Times Book Review
San Francisco Chronicle
PBS Newshour
The Millions
New Yorker
Kirkus Review
Publisher’s Weekly Review
INTERVIEWS + PODCASTS:
Poetry Society of America, w. Travis Nichols
Guernica, In Defense of Imagination, w. Ada Limón
Los Angeles Times
San Francisco Chronicle
Newsday
Practicing Writer
Forum with Michael Krasny
EXCERPTS:
Excerpt in New York Times Book Review
The Machine of Poetry (interview + excerpt) at WBUR/Here & Now
Ashbery, dreaming, and how to read a poem at Paris Review
Nothing is the Force in The Walrus