The Sleep of Reason

by Morri Creech

Morri Creech's third collection of poems, The Sleep of Reason, is a lyrical examination of liminal states of consciousness and experience. Including both a surprising take on Keats's "Ode to a Nightingale" and a dark meditation on the perils of the sublime, The Sleep of Reason explores the anxieties, horrors, and dreams that flash just beneath the surface of the waking mind, combining formal elegance and an acknowledgment of literary tradition with a fresh, contemporary voice. "A lovely mastery of craft. . . A poet to watch and, for poetry devotees, certainly to read."-Library Journal

Genres: Poetry

72 pages, Paperback

First published June 28, 2013

About the author

Morri Creech was born in Moncks Corner, S.C. in 1970 and was educated at Winthrop University and McNeese State University. He is the author of three collections of poetry, Paper Cathedrals (Kent State U P, 2001), Field Knowledge (Waywiser, 2006), which received the Anthony Hecht Poetry prize and was nominated for both the Los Angeles Times Book Award and the Poet’s Prize, and The Sleep of Reason (forthcoming, Waywiser 2013). A recipient of NEA and Ruth Lilly Fellowships, as well as grants from the North Carolina and Louisana Arts councils, he is the Writer in Residence at Queens University of Charlotte, where he teaches courses in both the undergraduate creative writing program and in the low residency M.F.A. program. He lives in Charlotte, North Carolina with his wife and two children.

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can't hate a poem or a poet who starts with, "Beat it, bird."

[Keith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was astonished by Creech's prose poems which are pastiches of Jesus's parables. Also found his monologue of the nightingale speaking to Keats to be a delight. And I will never forget the poem "The Perils of Art."

[CB · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are a handful of poems that I liked from this collection (The Trouble, Elegy for a Small Town Psychic, Late Reading, The Perils of Art, and That Old Time Religion). The overall impression is of clumsy verse packed with so much alliteration and verbal gymnastics that it distracts from the content. Some of the poems also throw rhymes in at the end of the stanza. It's very weird and feels out of place. I've read better poetry collections, but I've also read a lot worse.

[Kirsten Kinnell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really wonderful and amazing. I had it out from the library for ages and finally read it due to the threat of late fees. Wish I hadn't waited so long.