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Keith Taylor

Goodreads Author

Born

in Canada

Website

http://www.keithtaylorannarbor.com

Twitter

keithtaylora2

Genre

Poetry

Member Since

June 2008

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/keitay

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Keith Taylor was born in British Columbia in 1952. He spent his childhood in Alberta and his adolescence in Indiana. After several years of traveling, he moved to Michigan, where he earned his M.A. in English at Central Michigan University. He has worked as a camp-boy for a hunting outfitter in the Yukon, as a dishwasher in southern France, a housepainter in Indiana and Ireland, a freight handler, a teacher, a freelance writer, the co-host of a radio talk show, and as the night attendant at a pinball arcade in California. For more than twenty years he worked as a bookseller in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Then he taught in the undergraduate and graduate creative writing programs at the University of Michigan, and directed the Bear River Writers Con ...more

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Hi, Keith - I'm curious about your thoughts on book reviewing (a genre I've begun to take pleasure in writing.) You write many thoughtful, extended reviews--just as Sven Birkerts, your bookstore associate from years back--so often does. What does the activity of reviewing a book offer you personally? What do you hope it offers to readers of your reviews? Thanks!

Keith Taylor Robert - Just the other day I realized that I published my first book review over 40 years ago. That kind of amazed me. Books have always been the cen…moreRobert - Just the other day I realized that I published my first book review over 40 years ago. That kind of amazed me. Books have always been the center of my life, and stopping to think about them forces me to become more articulate about my responses to them. And, of course, I also try to write books, and knowing what has moved me in someone else's work can help with my own. I also continue to believe that books are important, so if I can interest a person or two in the discussion, then it is worth it. Also, I'm getting older now, and forcing myself to read new books by younger people keeps me fresh, forces me to keep thinking in new ways.

You will have noticed that I seldom give bad reviews. Maybe sometimes they are mixed, but very seldom pans. If I don't like a book, I won't finish it, let alone review it. The only time I'll do that is when someone well known writes a book that I think is bad (often sloppy) and that I have been asked and paid to review. Then I'll say something negative.

But I'm not quite sure what this might mean for someone who reads the review. Probably I'm hoping that if you read my review you will realize that someone took this author's process seriously and that maybe reading that book might help you do it too. That seems worth it!

Thanks for asking. Here's a link to a short essay I wrote about reviewing a few years back for "Fiction Writers Review"

https://fictionwritersreview.com/essa...(less)

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Hi, Keith- I hope you are well and thriving, despite you know. How do I send you a message here? Is this the only way? My novel, The Aftermath, was just published by Adelaide Books. You can get a free ecopy by going to smashwords.com/books/view/1085284 and putting MK92E in the discount code box. Or buy a paperback on Amazon. I remember our reading together at Shaman Drum (?)- It seems centuries ago. Happy Holidays!

Keith Taylor Wouldn't let me go there, Lyn. Said no book on this page. E-mail is still keitay@umich.edu…moreWouldn't let me go there, Lyn. Said no book on this page. E-mail is still keitay@umich.edu(less)

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Keith Taylor’s books

Average rating: 4.24 · 246 ratings · 57 reviews · 20 distinct works • Similar authors

	Ghost Writers: Us Haunting Them, Contemporary Michigan Literature (Made in Michigan Writer Series) by Keith Taylor (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Laura Kasischke, Steve Amick 3.54 avg rating — 56 ratings — published 2011 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	If the World Becomes So Bright (Made in Michigan Writer Series) 4.58 avg rating — 31 ratings — published 2009 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Bird-While (Made in Michigan Writer Series) 4.57 avg rating — 28 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Marginalia for a Natural History 4.58 avg rating — 26 ratings — published 2011 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	What Can the Matter Be? (Made in Michigan Writer Series) 4.22 avg rating — 27 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Guilty at the Rapture 4.71 avg rating — 17 ratings — published 2006 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	All the Time You Want 4.67 avg rating — 15 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Life Science and Other Stories 4.83 avg rating — 6 ratings — published 1995 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Let Them Be Left: Isle Royale Poems 4.60 avg rating — 5 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Ecstatic Destinations 4.75 avg rating — 4 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Keith Taylor…

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Keith Taylor rated a book it was amazing Still Life with Two Dead Peacocks and a Girl by Diane Seuss	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Wonderful book. I liked this even more than the previous one, which was a runner-up for the Pulitzer. Below is a short review I did of this Still Life with Two Dead Peacocks and a Girl Diane Seuss 2018 Keith Taylor In Rembrandt’s painting, “Still Life with ...more
9 hours, 6 min ago · 3 likes · like · see review
Keith Taylor rated a book it was amazing Modern Poetry: Poems by Diane Seuss	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I'll admit that I was a little irritated at this title at first, even though I too immediately went to the old textbook/anthology. But very early in the book, I got it -- when it became clear that whatever "modern poetry" might be, and how it and the ...more
9 hours, 35 min ago · like · see review
Keith Taylor and 3 other people liked Sigrid A's review of Hope Leslie: or, Early Times in the Massachusetts: "Written in 1827, Hope Leslie is a historical novel about the puritan period in New England, focused on the settlers' hostility and violence toward indigenous peoples' in the region. Once I got into it, I was surprised at what a page turner it turned " Read more of this review »
Mar 05, 2026 02:53PM · see review
Keith Taylor and 1 other person liked Ava Butzu's review of The Bear: "This was a lovely compact tale, a fable of sorts, set in the not-so-distant future in a time when civilization has mostly melted away. A man. His daughter. Survival - or something deeper and richer than that. As the man raises his daughter alone in t" Read more of this review »
Mar 04, 2026 09:15AM · see review
Keith Taylor liked Steve Hanley's review of Stoner: "There is something true and perfect about this story. Not in a “Great American Novel” sort of way, but in a quiet, understated, deeply human way. From the beginning we know this won’t be triumphant, and yet nothing is spoiled by that knowledge. The pl" Read more of this review »
Mar 04, 2026 09:13AM · see review
Keith Taylor rated a book it was amazing Good Dress by Brittany Rogers	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
So many things to like about this book. The language is direct and forceful, with a full range, from the street to the stars. Although I cannot be a judge of the picture of Black Womanhood, I believe all of this. And I do know Detroit, so the place r ...more
Mar 03, 2026 04:47PM · 2 likes · like · see review
Keith Taylor made a comment on Sarah’s review of The Blue Hour of the Day: Selected Poems " Great to see you're reading Lorna and Patrick! And it's heartening to see younger Canadian writers still finding their way to them. ...more "
Mar 02, 2026 03:48PM · see review
Keith Taylor rated a book it was amazing Erotica (English and Greek Edition) by Yiannis Ritsos	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I am responding to the Kimon Friar translations published by Sachem Press in 1982. Although I love Ritsos work, I have pigeon-holed him as a political poet. He was, after all, an active communist writer and was imprisoned for many years. But he was al ...more
Feb 26, 2026 02:49PM · 1 like · like · see review
Keith Taylor rated a book it was amazing Still Life with Two Dead Peacocks and a Girl by Diane Seuss	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Wonderful book. I liked this even more than the previous one, which was a runner-up for the Pulitzer. Below is a short review I did of this Still Life with Two Dead Peacocks and a Girl Diane Seuss 2018 Keith Taylor In Rembrandt’s painting, “Still Life with ...more
Feb 20, 2026 12:40PM · 3 likes · like · see review
Keith Taylor rated a book it was amazing Dirt Music by Tim Winton	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Yes, I came to this to help me prepare for an upcoming trip to Western Australia. If anything, this might make me be more afraid of the toughness of the people! But, then, the people in this novel are, I think, secondary to the landscape. The book st ...more
Feb 20, 2026 12:13PM · like · see review