I Have My Own Song For It: Modern Poems of Ohio

by Elton Glaser

I Have My Own Song for Modern Poems of Ohio gathers together 117 poems by 85 poets for a fresh perspective on the Buckeye State. Not since 1911 has there been a comprehensive collection of poems written about Ohio. And this anthology is especially relevant as Ohio celebrates its 200th year as a state. It could be called Ohio's bicentennial gift to itself. These poems, written by such celebrated Ohio natives as James Wright and Mary Oliver, and by accomplished if less well known poets like Ruth L. Schwartz and Rachel Langille, offer a virtual tour of people and places in the state, traveling around Ohio's lakes and rivers, farms and open country, small towns and large cities. In resonant language and compelling imagery, in shapely verse and lines responsive to the moment's impulse, the poems bring Ohio to its citizens and, beyond the borders of the state, to lovers of poetry everywhere. The perspective may be personal or historical, close-up or wide-ranging, celebratory or otherwise, but each poem becomes part of the state's legacy passed on to future generations, a collective record of how Ohio appears to itself and to others at the begining of the 21st century.

Genres: Poetry

221 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2002

About the author

A longtime resident of Ohio, poet Elton Glaser was born and raised in Louisiana and earned an MFA from the University of California, Irvine.

Glaser’s collections of poetry include Relics (1984); Tropical Depressions (1988), which won the Iowa Poetry Prize; Color Photographs of the Ruins (1992); Winter Amnesties (2000); and Pelican Tracks (2003). His sixth collection, Here and Hereafter (2005), received the Arkansas Poetry Award.

Glaser’s awards include fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and from the Ohio Arts Council. In 1996 he received the Ohioana Poetry Award. He has taught at the University of Akron in Akron, Ohio, and served as editor of the Akron Series in Poetry at the University of Akron Press.

Reviews

[Maddie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was going to be really mad if this didn’t have Mary Oliver in it

[Jeffrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunning turns of phrase around every corner. This book made me proud to be an Ohio poet.

[Brian Wasserman · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best, probably the best poetry anthology I have ever read. The choices are carefully selected, many of them are top quality as opposed to "Best Poets" that is published where only 5 choices percent of the poems are worth reading. Again it is wonderfull to find an anthology that feels well put together. Ill also say this book has some of the best rustic, nature poetry. After reading this I am tempted to give James Wright another try.

[Raelene · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved some poems in this collection much more than others, but the very idea of a collection of poetry all based somehow in Ohio by Ohioans was beautiful and did not disappoint.

[Carole · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read, if not for the merit of all of the poems, certainly for a survey of current Ohio poets. Some of my favorites were "Rust Belt" by William Greenway, Glenn McKee's "Summer of 1912," Kevin Prufer's "Two Muses Discuss Arrowheads," James Bertolino's "Home in Ohio," Maggie Anderson's "Beyond Even This," Mary Oliver's "Tecumseh," Sharon Kourous' "How We Argue," and Ruth L. Schwartz's "Ohio Highway."