A Year in Poetry: A Treasury of Classic and Modern Verses for Every Date on the Calendar

by Thomas E. Foster

A poetry anthology featuring a different poem for every day of the year, each one specifically tied to its date. The selections range from works by Shakespeare and Keats to those of T. S. Eliot and Sonia Sanchez.

Genres: Poetry

485 pages, Hardcover

First published October 31, 1995

Reviews

[Amy Paget · Rating 4 out of 5]

says this is a VERY interesting approach to a poetry anthology. The editors spent over 7 years looking for poems that 'record rare one-day occurences, death days, birthdays, dates in titles, etc. As they so capably say, "A simple magic happens when poems are framed in the days of our calendar. The poems of far places are brought into our lives, and we are reminded that the day is world-wide." The poems in this anthology range from the classical to contemporary and there is a thought-provoking frisson from their adjacency. Recommended!

[Ambrose Miles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not always the greatest poetry, but lived up to what the editors promised, that every day, for a year, there would be a poem with the date mentioned either in the title or in the poem itself. At least interesting.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I guess I made a wrong assumption, because I thought this book was a collection of one good poem to read each day. I didn't realize that each day's poem was actually connected to that particular date - a cool idea, but it results in some mediocre poems that are included simply because they mention "February twelfth" or are about an event that occurred on that day. I enjoyed about a quarter of the poems. The rest bored me.

[Chazz Glaze · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cool idea to do an anthology by dates, but I really didn't like most of the poems selected--too canonical and outdated.

[Katharine Holden · Rating 2 out of 5]

Many terrible poems chosen, not because of merit, but because the poem mentions a specific date. A strange emphasis on executions.

[Michael Compton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A poem (or excerpt) written for, or about, or in some way referencing each day of the year. The quality varies, but there are few better ways to start a day than by reading a poem.

[Peregrine 12 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know a lot about poetry, but I do enjoy the variety of poems available here. Arranging them by calendar date is a nice way to discover new works, too, especially if you read them aloud.