Trilogy: Coins & coffins; Discrepancies and apparitions; The George Washington poems

by Diane Wakoski

In this one volume, Ms. Wakoski's first three books are reissued, with a special introduction by the author. For years, Coins and Coffins, Discrepancies and Apparitions, and The George Washington Poems could only be found on the rare book market; now they are made available for new readers to discover the impressive range of this highly individual talent.

Genres: Poetry

166 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1974

About the author

Wakoski is an American poet who is primarily associated with the deep image poets such as Jerome Rothenberg, Robert Kelly, and Clayton Eshleman. Throughout her work she uses legends, myth and fairy tales to create a deeply personal mythology.

She is best known for a series of poems collectively known as "The Motorcycle Betrayal Poems."

Wakoski was given the William Carlos Williams Award for her "Emerald Ice: Selected Poetry 1962-1987."

Reviews

[Simone Levy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the first two books in this trilogy, but the last one about George Washington was not really my cup of tea, but overall, Wakoski is an incredible poet with a very unique voice. Her poems are very accessible for the most part.

[J.C. Reilly · Rating 3 out of 5]

These early poems are interesting because they are more poem-y than many of her later books. I think both Coins & Coffins and Discrepancies and Apparitions are solid collections with unusual imagery and some excellent lyrics. I don't understand The George Washington Poems though--many of them are weirdly sexual and sometimes George is representative of Some Other Man in Wakoski's life, sometimes he seems like her father (although we won't know until much, much later in her career that she envisions Jason as her father), and sometimes he's really GW and I just don't get them...oh well. The omnibus has a nice 4 page introduction that is useful to read as much as for her insights into poetry as into her psyche.

(I would give this 4 stars but the GW poems were too gimmicky to me.)