My Top Ten Poetry Books of 2008... and then some.

Okay, I'm probably forgetting something here, and I haven't got around to reading all the books I've meant to this year, and I do have a stack of books I've bought but haven't read yet, so try not to take this too seriously. If your book isn't here, I apologize. You know I think you're brilliant. These are not ranked (stopping at ten is arbitrary enough), rather, they are listed in alphabetical order by author:

1) Corinna A-Maying the Apocalypse by Darcie Dennigan (Fordham University Press)

2) All-American Poem by Matthew Dickman (APR/Honickman 1st Book Award)

3) Crabwise to the Hounds by Jeramy Dodds (Coach House Books)

4) Gloria by Selima Hill (Bloodaxe Books)

5) Twigs & Knucklebones by Sarah Lindsay (Copper Canyon Press)

6) Seven Notebooks by Campbell McGrath (HarperCollins)

7) The New Layman's Almanac by Jacob McArthur Mooney (McClelland & Stewart)

8) The Sentinel by A.F. Moritz (House of Anansi Press)

9) Dead Cars in Managua by Stuart Ross (Punchy Writers/DC Books)

10) Blert by Jordan Scott (Coach House Books)

It's interesting to note that four books that made my list are first books (Dennigan, Dickman, Dodds, and Mooney).


BOOKS THAT I EDITED

To avoid the appearance of favouritism, I haven't included books that I edited for my own imprint with Insomniac Press on my top ten list, but I am still very proud of these books and would like to recommend them, as well. Here they are in alphabetical order by author:

1) The Debaucher by Jason Camlot

2) The Red Element by Catherine Graham

3) Into the Drowned World by Ryan Kamstra



HONOURABLE MENTIONS
(other books I loved this year, because stopping at ten is arbitrary enough)

1) Palilalia by Jefferey Donaldson (MQUP)

2) Repose by Adam Getty (Nightwood Editions)

3) Be Calm, Honey by David W. McFadden (The Mansfield Press)

4) Noble Gas, Penny Black by David O'Meara (Brick Books)

5) Breaker by Sue Sinclair (Brick Books)

6) Jeremiah, Ohio by Adam Sol (Anansi)

7) Ghost Soldier by James Tate (Ecco/HarperCollins)


Happy reading!