Every day people tune in to "The Writer's Almanac" on public radio and hear Garrison Keillor read them a poem. And here, for the first time, is an ...
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Oct 09, 2010
Shawn
rated it: 
Hooked by the intro...funny and opinionated, just the needed thing. A friendly debate over the best poets and poems gets me right here (pointing to chest).
The main purpose of the book is to show how well poetry handles its well-familiar themes: childhood, death and the heartfelt appreciation towards being outside. While this can be annoying in other poetry titles, here those themes get their fair, glorious due. The poets here don't sit by a window and write about robins. They s More...
The main purpose of the book is to show how well poetry handles its well-familiar themes: childhood, death and the heartfelt appreciation towards being outside. While this can be annoying in other poetry titles, here those themes get their fair, glorious due. The poets here don't sit by a window and write about robins. They s More...
May 19, 2011
This morning when I was looking through our bookshelves, I saw I book that I had never seen before. I don't know where we got it, I don't know how long we've had it, but I do know that I am going to try to read the short poems out of this book every day until I'm done.
Can I do it?
Can I do it?
Jun 02, 2008
Nichole
rated it: 
I haven’t read much poetry lately. I’d “forgotten how big,” how restorative it can be. I’m so glad that I ended my evening with Anne Sexton's “Welcome Morning” rather than finishing the day with “American Idol.” A good poem makes me want to read more and to write. Whether or not I’ll actually pick up the pen is another question, but it feels good to want to do it. A good poem calms me and gives me perspective and makes me feel centered — all things I certainly could use on a daily basis.
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Apr 03, 2011
Mary
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Love Garrison Keillor's perspective on what qualifies as a "good poem"--"these are poems that made people stop chewing their toasted muffins and turn up the radio and listen and later zip into our website and get the dope on the poet." These poems all appeared on NPR's Writer's Almanac--and there wonderful. Some duds, but mostly "good"--i.e.,Thomas Lux's poem, stopped me chewing, too. In fact, many of them did. I'll be pulling out this book every day for moments of
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Jul 17, 2009
TBML
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What a great anthology! There are poems in here for just about every mood and situation which you could encounter.
As a Keillor fan, I can imagine him reading these. The public radio station to which I listen does not carry The Writer's Almanac, so I have never heard him read any of this poetry, but when I read them, it is Garrison's voice I hear in my head.
Divided into 19 sections, Good Poems touches on all manner of topics. From iceberg lettuce to the nature of the div More...
As a Keillor fan, I can imagine him reading these. The public radio station to which I listen does not carry The Writer's Almanac, so I have never heard him read any of this poetry, but when I read them, it is Garrison's voice I hear in my head.
Divided into 19 sections, Good Poems touches on all manner of topics. From iceberg lettuce to the nature of the div More...
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Apr 08, 2010
Doreen
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Finally finished this, some 3? 4? years after Dan, a regular at my old restaurant gave it to me to encourage my interest in poetry. Clearly, his efforts did not succeed too well, as it has taken me all this time to finish the collection which, by happy coincidence, I began reading again before a friend wrote a sonnet for me, but it isn't due to a lack of interest in poetry per se. I own and love several collections of poetry by Ted Hughes, Stephen Dunn and Margaret Atwood (and have a collection
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Jun 12, 2010
For the past couple of years, I've been trying to educate myself in poetry-writing (I've taken my share of fiction and nonfiction classes/workshops). I'm glad to say that I've had really good luck with all of my online poetry courses (so far, two courses via the Gotham Writers Workshop with Matthew Lippman, and two independently-organized courses with Sage Cohen). In a course earlier this year, Sage recommended that we students spend some time with anthologies. I'm a pretty conscientious student
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Jul 29, 2011
Jenee
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This was a fairly enjoyable collection of poetry. Some of my favorite poets where featured and I discovered other poets that I hadn't heard of before. The thing I like most about this book is how excessable the poetry is. None of it is really anything too deep and hard to understand. It is very to the point in most cases, which is good for poet enthusiast and for every day people. The only complaint I would have about this book is a personal book. There were only a selected few poems that I actu
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Jun 19, 2010
Ben
rated it: 
Sometime back I heard a David Budbill poem read by Garrison Keillor on The Writer's Almanac, a regular short program on public radio stations. That poem led me to go buy a collection of Budbill's that I enjoyed a great deal. So I was delighted when I later ran across Good Poems, a collection of poetry from the show that has been selected and arranged by Keillor. I have been chewing through this assembly over the last year or so whenever the poetry mood strikes me, and have only just now finished
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Jul 08, 2009
Heidi
rated it: 
Emily Dickenson wrote, "If I read a book and it makes my whole body so cold no fire can ever warm me, I know that is poetry. If I feel physically as if the top of my head were taken off, I know that is poetry. These are the only ways I know it. Is there any other way?"
Very few of the poems in this collection would meet these criteria for me. Ok, so I didn't read every poem; I got about 3/4 of the way through. And I guess I didn't pay enough attention to the title: these are More...
Very few of the poems in this collection would meet these criteria for me. Ok, so I didn't read every poem; I got about 3/4 of the way through. And I guess I didn't pay enough attention to the title: these are More...
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Feb 28, 2011
I've never been a big fan of poetry, but I feel like I should be since I'm an English teacher. The trouble is, how do I make up for so much lost time after I've basically ignored poetry for most of my life? Well, this book was just what I needed! It has a good sample of poets from across the literary spectrum (classical, modern, postmod, high brow, low brow). I still feel like I need to read more, but at least now I can quote a few lines at dinner parties. Oh, wait. No one ever invites me
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Jan 01, 2011
Richard
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An anthology selected and edited by Garrison Keillor / There are, indeed, a lot of good poems in this book. At least ones that we have enjoying a lot since we stumbled upon the book last summer at the library. We bought our own copy so that we can keep stumbling upon them again from time to time. Gerald Locklin in “The Iceberg Theory” writes “... the poems that I enjoy are those I don’t have to pretend that I’m enjoying.” Most of the poems in this collection (not all but most...) fall into
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Jul 04, 2009
Brian
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I've been reading this one off and on for four or five months; it's not to be digested all at once! The poems Keillor chooses are, on average, sentimental and accessible, and I mean that in the best way. They are poems that bridge the gap between your heart and the poet's, rather than separating you. They are also, very largely, twentieth-century poems written by people I've never heard of; these are mostly not the endlessly anthologized poems found in most volumes like this one. A really ex
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Oct 30, 2008
Ken
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Good Poems is an accurately titled book. It is a thematically arranged anthology of poems that have been featured on The Writer's Almanac. Keillor divides the collection into categories such as "O Lord," "Lovers," "Yellow," and "The End." I really liked this organization.
What I liked most about this collection was that almost all of the poems are easily accesible to any reader. Although there are also a couple of selections from William Shakespeare More...
What I liked most about this collection was that almost all of the poems are easily accesible to any reader. Although there are also a couple of selections from William Shakespeare More...
Jul 11, 2011
jenna
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A great collection of poems that range from the classics to the contemporary, the romantic to the humorous. What I like best was the accessibility of the collection, I would recommend it to those, who like myself, aren't the most savvy poem readers.
It's also a pretty book physically, with pages that are textured and a cute size. A great addition to my own book collection as I will surely pick it up many times in the future.
It's also a pretty book physically, with pages that are textured and a cute size. A great addition to my own book collection as I will surely pick it up many times in the future.
Oct 26, 2009
Wendy
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I am so not a Garrison Keillor fan--While his radio show contains some good nuggets, more often than not the stories ramble for an eternity before reaching a mediocre punchline. However, I love this anthology of poems selected by Keillor. I recommend it to anyone who thinks that poetry doesn't resonate with them--these poems are accessible, easy to read and many of them, in Keillor tradition, tell stories.
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Jul 25, 2009
Debbie (Readerbuzz)
rated it:
"This is not Introduction to Poetry (MWF 9am
Chemistry 150, 3 cr) and I am not the Maud Hill
Hallowell Professor of American Lit, and your name
isn't Daphne Foxcroft. It's simply a book of poems...
that somehow stuck with me...." from Keillor's intro
to this book. Recommended.
Chemistry 150, 3 cr) and I am not the Maud Hill
Hallowell Professor of American Lit, and your name
isn't Daphne Foxcroft. It's simply a book of poems...
that somehow stuck with me...." from Keillor's intro
to this book. Recommended.
Jan 20, 2009
Alecia
rated it:
Poems for everyday, accessible, funny, quality poetry in small doses for poets and non-poets. Could be an introduction for people who don't gravitate to poetry, or could be just a great cross-section sampling of all kinds of poetry across demographics, space and time. The binding of mine is breaking down, I pull it out whenever I need a short fix of good writing.
Jan 07, 2009
Rebecca
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I enjoyed this as an audio version so much I gave it away twice! Explanation, it was too good to keep to myself. This is a wonderful audio collection of poems that are indeed good. I haven't seen this print version but am tempted to get one, but the audio version is superb because many of the living poets in the collection read their own works.
Jul 11, 2009
Rachel
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My favorites are:
O Karma, Dharma (Philip Appleman)
Dilemma (David Budbill)
Alley Violinist (Robert Lax)
The Investment (Robert Frost)
Those Who Love (Sara Teasdale)
Sweater Weather: A Love Song to Language (Sharon Bryan)
The Three Goals (David Budbill)
Dog's Death (John Updike)
Solitude (Ella Wheeler Wilcox)
The Iceberg Theory (Gerald Locklin)
The Vacation (Wendell Berry)
Not Only the Eskimos (Lisel Mueller)
Ed (Louis Simpson)
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O Karma, Dharma (Philip Appleman)
Dilemma (David Budbill)
Alley Violinist (Robert Lax)
The Investment (Robert Frost)
Those Who Love (Sara Teasdale)
Sweater Weather: A Love Song to Language (Sharon Bryan)
The Three Goals (David Budbill)
Dog's Death (John Updike)
Solitude (Ella Wheeler Wilcox)
The Iceberg Theory (Gerald Locklin)
The Vacation (Wendell Berry)
Not Only the Eskimos (Lisel Mueller)
Ed (Louis Simpson)
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Jun 26, 2010
Bonnie
rated it:
This collection is divided into living and dying categories. Love, loss, the whole shebang.
Keillor's introduction is living prose - and he makes no apologies for choosing poems he likes, poems other people like. Simply because people like them.
This is a wonderful collection of everyman's poetry.
To be read aloud, and enjoyed by a crowd.
Keillor's introduction is living prose - and he makes no apologies for choosing poems he likes, poems other people like. Simply because people like them.
This is a wonderful collection of everyman's poetry.
To be read aloud, and enjoyed by a crowd.
Feb 13, 2009
Ellen
rated it:
I like Garrison Keillor because he treats everything like it is poetry. And I do mean everything. This anthology includes jingles from radio commercials and folk songs, but I really love it because of all the Minnesota authors that are represented. My copy is pulled apart and marked up, always the sign of a book I truly love.
May 02, 2009
Diane
rated it:
Enjoyed reading aloud one poem a night before turning off the light and going to sleep, Andy says we have to do it that way, same as Writer's Almanac, which we can get on the radio when we are Up North, but not downstate, so this is fun. Feel like I should introduce each selection with the theme song from Writers Almanac. Anyone remember it? I can hear Garrison Keillor's voice when I'm reading these poems. Will probably have to buy a copy, or renew this 50 times at the library, at this pace. The
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Feb 12, 2008
Lynn
rated it:
There is not much I enjoy more on radio than the five minutes alloted to Garrison Keillor mornings and afternoons for Writer's Almanac. I like the born on this day and/or died on this day short bios he offers and I love the poems he reads from about anywhere in recorded time. Good Poems is a collection of Keillor's choices. I do not automatically fall in love with every selection. It could be that sometimes it is the voice, Keillor's voice on the radio that brings life to the lines, makes th
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Oct 24, 2011
Dan
rated it:
This book got me interested in poetry. Like a gateway drug it lured me to the harder stuff, got me interested in authors that I hadn't heard of and showed me that poetry isn't necessarily obtuse or "difficult". Need I say more? This is a great book.
Oh yeah the intro is good too.
Oh yeah the intro is good too.
Feb 13, 2011
Stacey
rated it:
Two stars in the exact "it was okay" definition. I should admit I only got half way through before the library asked for it back.
I've spent too many years saying "I know nothing about poetry" without trying to rectify that lack of knowledge. I hoped this anthology would introduce me to poets I hadn't heard of that I would want to read more of. And while I did manage to make decent-sized list of poets to explore, few of poems really really excited me. Too early More...
Oct 26, 2009
Will
rated it:
So, poetry is this amazing juice, yet we take no time to squeeze the necessary fruit. Doesn't fit into real life.
Ahh, but the work is done for you. Right here. Keillor gives it by the gallon. Case in point ... Wendell Berry's Peace of Wild Things.
Drink up.
Ahh, but the work is done for you. Right here. Keillor gives it by the gallon. Case in point ... Wendell Berry's Peace of Wild Things.
Drink up.
Mar 09, 2009
Steven
rated it:
This book by Garrison Keillor has trurned me on to poetry. I read apoem a day simply for the joy of language and the pleasure of poetic imagery. I suppose one should specialize in such a vast subject but frankly, I find joy and pleasure in exploring.
Oct 01, 2007
This book was the first in the series before Good Poems for Hard Times. I found the structure less appealing than it's sequel because it featured large general groupings of poems--Lovers, Resurrection and Yellow--as opposed to smaller, funnier groupings--This Lust of Tenderness, Kindness To Snails and Deliberate Obfuscation. I however really enjoyed reading more of some of the authors I discovered in Good Poems For Hard Times (Maxine Kumin, Bill Holm, Linda Pastan). This book provides a glimpse
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Mar 07, 2011
Allison
rated it:
One of my favorite collections of poetry. Very eclectic, meant for everyday reading and enjoyment as they were originally read on Garrison Keilor's daily show on NPR "The Writer's Almanac". Great poetry anthology for people who think they don't like poetry.
