Place as Purpose: Poetry from the Western States

by Martha Ronk (Editor), Paul Vangelisti (Editor)

An anthology of poetry from the groundbreaking Los Angeles event, celebrating contemporary poetry and its place in the landscape of the Literary West. This book documents the gathering, October 10–12, 2002, of some 30 poets and critics at three Otis College of Art and Design, Occidental College, and the Autry Museum of Western Heritage. Among the voices in this volume are Rae Armantrout, Norma Cole, Gillian Conoley, Michael Davidson, Amy Gerstler, Brenda Hilman, Lawson Fusao Inada, Claudia Keelan, Joanne Kyger, Lewis Macadams, Douglas Messerli, Carol Muske-Dukes, Rich Noguchi, Michael Palmer, Bin Ramke, Ishmael Reed, Donald Ravell, Martha Ronk, Jerome Rothenberg, Leslie Scalapino, Nathaniel Tarn, Quincy Troupe, Paul Vangelisti, and Ofelia Zepeda.

256 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2002

Reviews

[Rosa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book of poetry includes poems from over 30 poets, including UCSD professor Rae Armantrout. The poems in this collection all focus on a sense of the West, and how place can affect one's writing. I would recommend this book to any fan of poetry, especially someone interested in Southern California. Each poet really captures "place" in their poems and brings the reader along with them for the ride.

One of my favorite poems, "Moon Over LA" by Martha Ronk, paints a perfect picture of LA and the a tired, weary sense of emptiness. I also recommend the poems by Dennis Phillips, especially "Full moon (with shadow)".

If you enjoy the book you can also find more of the writings of Ronk, Armantrout and other poets in the ANP collection in Special Collections.