Creature Feature

by Dean Young

Genres: Poetry

112 pages, Paperback

Published April 7, 2026

About the author

Dean Young is the author of many collections of poetry, including Shock by Shock, Bender: New and Selected Poems, and Elegy on a Toy Piano, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. He teaches at the University of Texas, Austin.

Reviews

[Dr. Devine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I have a new poet to add to my favourites.

Wit, humour, and dealing with a brush with death, all masterfully balanced in dense, thought-provoking lines.

The last poem in particular, knowing that he died before this collection was complete, is particularly jarring.

I can't wait to read more.

[Dol Leander · Rating 3 out of 5]

A posthumous collection is always harder to read. The knowledge that the author has said all they're capable of haunts the pages. This is especially true for this work as themes of death rest at the front of the writing. Even so, it's impossible not to feel the life of the work. There is a bright energy and strange humor explored alongside the heartache. Each line of poetry is skillfully laid out with a vividness that allows the mind to visualize each piece the same way one might view a surrealist painting.