New Poems from the Third Coast: Contemporary Michigan Poetry (Great Lakes Books

Great Lakes Books Series

by Michael Delp, Conrad Hilberry (Editor)

In 1976, Wayne State University Press published The Third Coast: Contemporary Michigan Poetry, an anthology that offered a sampling of the best poetry written by Michigan writers. A second Third Coast anthology was published in 1988 with many new poets and a wider range of styles. New Poems from the Third Coast continues that tradition with fifty-six writers from across the state sharing their poetic glimpse of trout streams, schoolrooms, and restaurants, as well as portraits of friends, families, lovers, and life in Michigan.

Although this collection is only a sampling of the rich literary culture alive in Michigan, New Poems from the Third Coast is a lively, and carefully-crafted collection of poems from a variety of Michigan voices. Michael Delp, Conrad Hilberry, and Josie Kearns have balanced the old and the new and combined them in a strong contribution to contemporary poetry.

Readers will find in this collection a glimpse of the preoccupations and passions that are moving these American poets is at the end of the century. Lovers of poetry and students and scholars interested in regional literature will find an exhilarating range of styles in this volume.

Genres: Poetry

376 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[Ellice · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with all poetry anthologies, this is a mixed bag, but there is a lot here to like. There’s a great deal of nature, woods, wilderness—the kinds of things you would expect in an anthology of Michigan poets. But there are also more universal themes, like love, grief, loneliness. I wasn’t sure at first how I felt about the large photo and one-paragraph bio of each author before their work, but I grew to appreciate it—especially as a resource in finding more of the poets I particularly liked. It was also a nice way to personalize the poets, most of whom I'd never heard of. I'd recommend this volume to anyone who is interested both in poetry and in Michigan.

[Professor Typewriter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good collection of poems from remarkable Michigan poets. The stand out poets in this collection are Jan Worth, Richard Tillinghast, Jack Ridi, Julie Moulds. There is contemporary poetry in Michigan. There is contemporary poetry in America too.