Please Excuse This Poem: 100 New Poets for the Next Generation

by Brett Fletcher Lauer, Lynn Melnick, Carolyn Forché (Introduction)

One hundred poems. One hundred voices. One hundred different points of view. Here is a cross-section of American poetry as it is right now—full of grit and love, sparkling with humor, searing the heart, smashing through boundaries on every page. Please Excuse This Poem features one hundred acclaimed younger poets from truly diverse backgrounds and points of view, whose work has appeared everywhere from The New Yorker to Twitter, tackling a startling range of subjects in a startling range of poetic forms. Dealing with the aftermath of war; unpacking the meaning of “the rape joke”; sharing the tender moments at the start of a love these poems tell the world as they see it.Editors Brett Fletcher Lauer and Lynn Melnick have crafted a book that is a must-read for those wanting to know the future of poetry. With an introduction from award-winning poet, editor, and translator Carolyn Forché, Please Excuse This Poem has the power to change the way you look at the world. It is The Best American Nonrequired Reading—in poetry form.

Genres: Poetry, Young Adult, Anthologies

304 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 10, 2015

About the author

Brett Fletcher Lauer is the deputy director of the Poetry Society of America and the poetry editor of A Public Space, and the author of memoir Fake Missed Connections: Divorce, Online Dating, and Other Failures, and the poetry collection A Hotel In Belgium. In addition to co-editing several anthologies, including Please Excuse this Poem: 100 News Poets for the Next Generation and Isn’t It Romantic: 100 Love Poems by Younger American Poets, he is the poetry co-chair for the Brooklyn Book Festival.

Reviews

[Mischenko · Rating 3 out of 5]

See my full review @ https://readrantrockandroll.com/2017/...

I picked this up from my local library a while back after there was some controversy with a few parents over the book being considered YA due to the content. They felt that it was inappropriate and came in complaining about the book after their kids brought it home. At the age of 11, my oldest daughter is starting to read some YA and I thought I’d like to check this one out to see what the fuss was all about and if it’s something she could read. Plus, I love poetry.

The book is a compilation of about one hundred poems from different authors on various topics including racism, drug use, sexual orientation, sexual abuse, common problems that teens experience with friends and family, and others. It does contain some profanity. It’s a good mix of poems and I loved some and didn’t like others. A few of my favorites are:

“Richer Than Anyone in Heaven,”

“Boyishly”

“High-School Picture Re-Take Day”

“That’s Everything Inevitable”

“Sonnet”

“Second Summer”

“The Wait for Cake”

My absolute favorite was:
“Concerning the Land to the South of Our Neighbors to the North.”

I enjoyed the book, but I’m not sure about this being used in classrooms and feel that it might be best for upper high school due to some of the content. YA can mean different ages from twelve all the way up to twenty-five and I noticed that School Library Journal lists this as tenth grade and up, but I don’t think it’s appropriate for all tenth graders. Some of these poems are intense and a few can be offensive. It’s books like these that make me wish (even more) that there was a rating system in place for books just like movies, then parents and teachers could decide right away whether a book is or isn’t appropriate for their readers. I’m no expert, but in my opinion, even as an adult you really have to go into this book with an open mind.

I was pleasantly surprised to find the afterward which contains information about the poets and some short Q&A’s for each. What I didn’t like was that the questions asked were about favorite foods. artists, and mottos. I would’ve liked to learn why they wrote the poem that was featured in the book and what inspired them to write these poems in the first place.

My rating on this is 3.5***

[BookChampions · Rating 4 out of 5]

As much as I believe in the power of poetry (both as a writer of it and a reader of it), I have rarely read books of poetry from cover to cover. This is something I aim to change. This anthology was a real treat because it exposed me to 100 writers I've never heard of who are all producing poetry right this minute. It was a nice cross-section of modern poetry by generally younger poets, and it gave me some clear insight into the current state of things.

As with any anthology, some of the writings were more powerful than others, but it is always difficult to "judge" a poem at one listen. I'm happy that I own a copy of this book so I can revisit the book and give them all a few more glances. I'm sure some will be waiting for me to truly discover them.

The best aspect of this book, though, is the "About the Poets" section in the back. Not only are we given little bios on each one with links to their websites and Twitter handles, but there are included their answers to a list of questionnaire prompts, among them "What are your favourite poems or books of poetry." Through this last inclusion, especially, I feel like I'm gifted an extra bonus book—particularly because so many of the poems listed were ones I didn't recognize. I look forward to spending more time with poetry this summer as I work on curriculum this summer, and I most definitely will be returning to these suggested poems for inspiration and challenge.

[T.J. Gillespie · Rating 3 out of 5]

100 poems by 100 different poets.

It's going to be a mixed bag.

Here are the ten I liked most: Patricia Lockwood's already famous "Rape Joke" (the only one I had read before), Major Jackson's "Blunts" (partly for the Philly references), Cate Marvin's "Yellow Rubber Gloves," Aimee Nezhukumatathil's "High School Picture Re-take Day," Melissa Broder's "The Wait for Cake," Erika Meitner's "Sex Ed," Erin Belieu's "When at a Certain Party in NYC," Mathew Dickman's "Ghost Story," Patrick Rosal's "Uncommon Denominators," and Jennifer Moxley's "The Fountain."

[Noninuna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Like the title, I had to excuse a lot of poems in this collection. My only fav (much, much better than the rest, in my opinion) are Rape Joke by Patricia Lookwood, Ghost Story by Matthew Dickman, The Wait for Cake by Melissa Broder & Race Change Operation by Thomas Sayers Ellis. The theme of most of the poems are about sex, lust, desire (see the trend?), racism, oppression, bully and abuse(another trend?). I just too tired of reading repetition of teen angst or rebel etc because there are more important issues out there that I need concern myself with.

Some structures of the poems are what my head identified as disconnection. In my defense, I didn't study literature but when I say, "I eat.." then an hour later, I say "..apple", I dont think it will make sense in any way. Or at least to me. When this happened, I had to skip that poem entirely. I dont want to waste my time connecting the story with so few words given and a large gap in between.

[Kendall H · Rating 1 out of 5]

I actually only got about half-way through this one. I'm working on reading more poetry, but it usually isn't "work" for me. I got nearly half through this one, and hadn't found even one poem that I liked. I know the nature of these poems is not likeable, or easy. But still. There should be one that I like or that moves me. So I stopped.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved some, liked a lot, completely didn't get a few.. The collection as a whole has a rawness and vitality that will speak to teens and adults. The brief bios of each of the 100 included poets are a nice bonus. Recommended for high school libraries.

Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC.

[Sean · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun book to read. So many variations in style. All are written with a youthful power that can be heard clearly.
This disjointed nature appears to have displeased a bunch of reviewers (as I append this line to my separately written review). Sure, I did not ‘connect’ with most of these. That is the nature of both this collection and the subjective art of poetry. I’m a physics major – I reviewed a physics textbook once, and early in the book they had c = 299, 792,456 m/s. I closed the book and read no more – if you can’t get the speed of light right (end in 8, not 6), I wonder if the book had been read. I do not hear errors here in this book – I hear energy.
A short but insightful two-page introduction starts the book, incorporating lines from the many poems.
“Most poets begin writing poetry in secret. As with love and other experiences, there is a first time and it is remembered.”
…
“Most poets continue to write in secret until they trust someone enough to show her a poem, and this sharing continues one to another until the poems are strong enough to be sent out into the world, as these poems have been, the poems you are holding now, and as your poems may someday be sent, because why not?”
This would be a fantastic book for younger writers. (Might need a couple of edits to get this into a high school classroom, but it deserves to be there.)
My favorites:
“Barbour Street” by Samuel Amadon
“In Defense of Small Towns” by Oliver de la Paz
“Talk” by Terrance Hayes
“For the Faint of Heart” by Ben Mirov
“Boyishly” by Tanya Olson
“Rape Joke” by Patricia Lockwood
“My Uncle in Reverse” by Carley Moore
“Rolling Thunder” by Gretory Pardlo
“Blunts” by Major Jackson
“Clair De Lune” by Timothy Donnelly
“Sex Ed” by Erika Meitner
“Uncommon Denominators” by Patrick Rosal
“Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome” by Ocean Vuong
“Like Father” by Jerico Brown
“Race Change Operation” by Thomas Sayers Ellis
“The Fountain” by Jennifer Moxley
“Ricky Martin on Homosexuality” by Julian Talamantez Brolaski
A few lines from this last one…
You don’t survive a love letter from me.
What is Beyond calculus? It is a young man’s world where the genius is a physics major, a star at eighteen.
You can put my poster on the wall and think of it however you want.
When you finally stop taking math classes . . . it’s lonely to be the only poet-scientist.

The book concludes with 80 pages of information about the authors. (Nearly a full page/author). Everybody got the first two below
• Mini bio & awards – (Wow!)
• Favorite poems or book of poems – (Lots of suggestions here – nice to hear some of them talk of their earliest poems that inspired them)
Then each person got a random 5 or so questions from the following.
• Favorite Occupation/Hobby
• Natural talent you would most like to have
• Your Idea of Misery
• Your Favorite Virtue
• What you appreciate the most in your friends
• What is you present stat of mind
• Your Favorite Motto/Quote
• What can't you tolerate?
• Your favorite food or drink
• Your idea of happiness
• Your idea of misery
• Your least favorite word
• Your favorite word

[Tina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poetry is one of those arts that is so subjective that its almost polarizing. It isn't something that calls to me often, but when it does and I find one I like, it creates a deep passion in me. I picked this book up hoping that I'd find a new gem, something to fill me with passion again and leave me looking for more poetic words. Sadly I didn't get it. There are some great works here (Rape Joke will stand on its own for years to come) but nothing that left me afire for more. Most had me barely even stopping to think about meaning. Because of poetry's subjectivity I suspect that this is more a difference in taste between myself and the editors than a lack of talent by the poets.

[Mae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Please Excuse This Poem is a wonderful snapshot of poetry. One of the real strengths of this collection is its blurred focus. Unlike other collections of poetry that are sometimes consuming in their depression, joy, or political point, this collection provides a look at modern culture. Each poem provides a snapshot of modern life. Each poem is insightful and interesting. Far from being sorted by subject matter, the arrangement of poems within the volume is neither sedentary, nor jarring. This is a read that will stick with me. I would absolutely recommend this book to both teens and adults who enjoy modern poetry collections.

[Scott Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Read Harder Challenge: A Collection of Poetry Published Since 2014). A series of poems from an eclectic collection of poets. I hadn’t heard of any of these. The themes and styles are all over the spectrum. Some were interesting, but not a lot stood out to me. Yet, poetry is very personal. That many did not resonate with me doesn’t mean they won’t with you. Worth the time to read at least once.

[Morgan Potts · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was mostly about love poems or loved ones that left. There is about 100 poems in the book.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

2016 PopSugar Ultimate Reading Challenge - 5/41

*A book of poetry*

(Rounding up, though I might put this closer to a 3.5/5)

This was a fascinating read -- I wasn't intimately familiar with any of the poets in here, so I wasn't really coming at it from a "fan" perspective. Glad I was able to collect a few names of poets whose work I'd like to seek out further. Of course, it's very difficult to judge poetry with any sense of objectivity -- there were definitely poems in here that I didn't enjoy simply because I didn't "get" them or didn't connect with them form-wise. I've listed a few that especially stood out below -- these were ones that really spoke to me content-wise, surprised me with form, got me with a brilliant line, or elicited a real reaction -- a smile, a pang of recognition, all that great stuff that reminds you of how powerful poetry can be. There were quite a few poems in this collection that sort of blended together for me, so it was especially telling when one stuck with me.

However, I did have a very odd issue with the book (not so much content wise, but with its format) -- I really loved the concept of the "About the Poets" section where there was a little Q&A with each poet along with their bio. I often find that poets can feel removed from their work when all you see is their publications, their teaching positions, and their prizes. It was nice to see them as a bit more human. However, with 100 poets, this section takes up almost a THIRD of the book. I feel like there might have been a way to format this so that it was still readable, but didn't take up a bulk of the book. Also, all the poets were listed alphabetically, but the poem they contributed was not listed next to their bio, so I found myself flipping back and forth constantly, trying to figure out which ones were my favorites (admittedly, I hung on to the poem titles more than the names of the actual poets.) It's just my preference to correlate the poets to the poems, so I found this flip-flopping took away from the magic of the concept. But again, this is a weird little quibble particular to my reading style.

I don't find I read nearly enough poetry, so it's always great to come across a collection that reminds you of its magic.

A couple stand-outs:

"Rape Joke" by Patricia Lockwood
"Modern Poetry" by Jennifer L. Knox
"Yes, No, Yes, The Future, Gone, Happy, Yes, No, Yes, Cut, You" by Ken Chen
"Tonight You'll Be Able" by Matthew Zapruder
"Sex Ed" by Erika Meitner
"When At A Certain Party in NYC" by Erin Belieu
"Ghost Story" by Matthew Dickman
"Quinceanera" by Erika L. Sanchez
"Uncommon Denominators" by Patrick Rosal
"You Form" by Rae Gouirand
"Wilberforce" by Amanda Nadelberg
"Race Change Operation" by Thomas Sayers Ellis
"The Unbearable" by Ada Limon
"The Fountain" by Jennifer Moxley

[Mandy Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book of poems really has something for everyone. The voices range from current teenagers to those who were teens when a couple of decades ago. You take away a few concepts:
1. The emotions and experiences of being a teen transcend time. It doesn't matter when you were a teen; you still went through some of the same things.
2. A lot of teens are hurting and have dark things happening to them. Some poems held my rapt attention as my heart ached for the writer. I kept hoping that perhaps the poem was dramatized rather than their actual experience, but that is not a likely scenario. Other poems were light and lovely.
3. Teens absolutely can rise above and be victorious over their past and their circumstances - but often they need help. A few poems showed how they were inspired to get out of rough situations - none had to do with the person just decided to do it on their own. Frequently there was a catalyst.
Teens and adults will connect with at least one poem in this book. I am not a poetry reader. I skimmed some of the poems while I read and re-read others. I particularly enjoyed the back portion of the book where each author provided information about themselves. It was fun to see more about the authors of my favorite selections This book will definitely be in my high school library.
There is some brutal, mature content.

[BAYA Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poetry as an art form is big and covers nearly all the territory that human thought covers. In one accessible volume this collection of poems by 100 new poets manages to cover pretty much the whole landscape. It focuses heavily on themes that will resonate with teens including identity (race, gender, sexuality, economic, heritage, immigration and more), sex and love, violence, self-perception, family relationships and more. And it covers this territory while moving around between formats, forms and genres. There is truly something for every teen in here: fantasy, memoir, observation, romanticism, pastoral, humor, and more. Teen poets and teens who love poetry will adore the range and find lots in here to love along with, inevitably, some things they don’t care for. But even teens that do not think of poetry as their thing will connect with pieces in here. Readers should know that much of what is in here is heavy, dark, weighted. It is not a book for reading straight through but better for dipping in and out of, tasting a poem here or there and letting the words and ideas settle in a while before moving on. Visceral images, mature themes (including self-harm, sexual abuse, violence, and graphic sex) and unabashed swearing make this a good recommendation for older teens and those exploring similarly dark themes in their own lives and writing.

[Dylan · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a reading celebrating the release of this poetry anthology, the editors Brett Fletcher Lauer and Lynn Melnick, as well as many of the poets reading, expressed some version of the same sentiment: this is the anthology they wished they'd had growing up. "Please Excuse The Poem: 100 New Poets for the Next Generation" is a collection of recent poems by adult poets selected with teenagers in mind. You'll find some of the most talked about poems in the last decade, like Patricia Lockwood's viral poem "Rape Joke" and Ocean Vuong's "Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome." The themes range from identity, family, racism, depression, suicide, first love, sex, and poetry. As such, the book has been occasionally challenged for content. Because of the wide variety of forms and perspectives, there are many ways to use these titles in the classroom. It would be hard NOT to engage students with poems with titles like "Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen," "Race Change Operation," "High School Picture Re-Take Day," and "Postcards to the Other Brown Girl in My Weightlifting Class." These also happen to be some of the best contemporary poems and poets anywhere, for any age. Highly recommended for grades 8 plus.

[Rynell · Rating 4 out of 5]

POETRY

This collection of poems by younger poets is a carefully curated collection. The unique mix of poetry styles and forms, combined with the diversity of the young poets makes a it a great collection for the younger generation. With poems that reference a Quinceañera, math, death, loss of grandparents, history, witches, teachers, ghosts, text messaging, music and much more, there is a lot in this collection which will speak to teen readers.

Reading this collection was enjoyable. I appreciated the candor and diversity of the poets. Some adolescent readers may be unaccustomed to poetry being written today. This collection gives a good glimpse into the current generation of young poets. Contemporary poetry often includes content that can be shocking and this book is no exception. There is language, sexual content, drug references and other things that readers could object to; however, the context of these references in the poems makes sense and isn't what the poems are intrinsically about. I'd recommend this book to readers 16 years or older.

[Amy Formanski Duffy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can see why this collection will appeal to teens. Many of the poems deal with doomed love affairs, racial identity, and other modern themes relevant to that age group. It's high quality stuff, for the most part, written by award-winning writers and many who teach poetry at the university level. But I guess I assumed that at least some of the poets were teens or college students, since the book is marketed to teens. Reading the bios at the back of the book, the authors are definitely adults with real jobs and kids and whatnot. So I think an anthology written by folks their own age would appeal more to teen readers. And a few of the poems read like artsy word play nonsense that would appear in bad college journals. Overall it's a solid anthology for those who enjoy poetry.

[Jeff · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did like some poems here: Matthea Harvey, "The Crowds Cheered as Gloom Galloped Away," Carmen Gimenez Smith, "Bleeding Heart," Patricia Lockwood, "The Rape Joke," Gregory Pardlo, "Rolling Thunder," Jillian Weise, "Poem for His Ex," Arda Collins, "The News" Natalie Diaz, "Abecedarium . . .," Eduardo C. Corral, "In Colorado My Father Scoured and Stacked Dishes," Jennifer Moxley, "The Fountain," and Elizabeth Willis, "The Witch."

Beyond that, the less said the better. Dora Malech did have a nice essay on the Kenyon Review website (that made me pick the book up) about how many of these poems are very teachable to teenage poetry readers. I can vouch for the ones above. Serious poetry readers should look elsewhere.

[Alicia Bayer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked about 5% of the poems in this book, liked about half of them okay, and thought about half of them were definitely overrated. The title is a bit misleading, as most of the poets are established adults who are college professors and such. I got the impression that it was young poets but that's generally not the case. Some poems like "The Rape Poem" are worth checking it out of the library (which is how I read the book) for them alone.

I have to say that when I started the book I was pretty unimpressed but as I kept reading I did find some poems that I really enjoyed. No poetry anthology can speak to every reader with every poem but readers are likely to find some new poets to follow and some poetic inspiration.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

A real mix of styles and themes. The youthful energy in every single one of these shines through. I was not necessarily a huge fan of every single one, but I had some absolute favorites that I found. Not sure that I want to divulge them, to pre-dispose you. Maybe I'll amend this review with my favorites later.
A real bonus in this book is the mini-writeup on every single author in the back. Its like getting a second book. Some serious credentials here! My favorite inspirational part here was each author talking about their favorite/early inspiration.
The book did not have sectioned-themes, so from poem to poem you could really get 'shocked' via the next content/style. Just need to take a breath (anyway) after reading each poem.

[Meygan Cox · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love to read and write poetry, so I was eager to read Please Excuse This Poem. However, most of the poetry wasn't "my type" of poetry. This isn't to say that no one else would enjoy the poems. I just didn't "click" or, to be frank, understand some of the poetry because perhaps the poet was writing about a too personal experience, making it difficult for it to be relatable to just anyone. However, there are poems that will forever stick with me. "Rape Poem", "Talk", "My Uncle in Reverse", "Poem for his Ex", and "Flowers at Night" were my favorite poems. My favorite line came from "Tonight You'll Be Able", which was, "Ask yourself what would I do if I knew I could not fail."

[Marcy Ortegon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my poetry chapter book.

The best part about Please Excuse This Poem is that it includes poems from people with diverse ethnicities, backgrounds, and thoughts. It is explained in the introduction of the book that, "Most poets begin writing poetry in secret." Poets write out all their deepest thoughts on paper without fears. This reason is why this book is so captivating. The reader is able to learn so much about the poet's thoughts and feelings because poetry is a way into their soul. I loves reading all of the different poems throughout the book and I recommend this book to young people to see the struggles and joys of others.

[Kara Shae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Usually I'm not big on poetry, but I renewed my loan from the library twice (that's an entire month) just to savor this. In the introduction, it's explained that poets begin writing poetry in secret; the rest of the witty few paragraphs serve as a perfect sample for what's about to come. Although not every poem was strong and resonating, they all kept with a very clean theme that was emphatic: poetry isn't the same sappy stuff you're used to reading in Hallmark cards on Valentine's Day. It's absolutely astounding.

[Jacqueline Ballard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Please Excuse This Poem is a book featuring poetry by 100 New Poets. I loved a few, hated a few, and was indifferent to a few. What I did like about this book is the varying views and subject-matter. There is at least one poem included that everyone can relate to. One of my favorites was "Poem for His Ex" by Jillian Weise, as it depicts the messy end of relationships and those caught in the crossfire, forced to help pick up the pieces after they end.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poems are subjective, a poem either moves you, or it doesn't. There was no way I was going to like all 100 poems, so the best I could hope for was that a few would touch me. And a few did: "America You Don't Give a Damn About Their Dead", "Ghost Story" and "We Do Not Know Her Name" (my favorite). The poem "Rape Joke" read more like a short story, and was devastating in it's honesty. Try reading this poem collection, for you are sure to find a poem that speaks to you.

[Murray · Rating 3 out of 5]

A poetry anthology geared for YA readers. Like most most anthologies there are hits and misses which I won't delve into as poems are very subjective to each reader. I loved about 10 of the poems and that that the authors were diverse in color as were the topics relating to diversity, which tended to be my favorite poems. There are some clunkers in this book as well as some of the poets were trying way to hard to either be poetic or just too clever. Recommend to any teen who likes poetry.

[Will · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfully curated anthology of contemporary poems from some of the best poets active today. You’ll find work from writers such as Ada Limón, Ocean Vuong, Terrance Hayes, Jericho Brown, Jeffrey Yang, and others I’ve never heard of before but am excited to discover more.

[Vali · Rating 2 out of 5]

Review A
About what I expected from an anthology: a few gems, a few duds, and a bunch of stuff in between that I don't understand. But at least I know what my peers are writing about.

Review B
Disappointing. Most of the poets are doing the exact same thing as one another. Not too much adventurous here because most won't or can't break out of the box.

[Samantha · Rating 2 out of 5]

I tried to read this book even though I'm not a huge poetry fan. That's probably the main reason why I didn't like it as much as I possibly could have. The poems weren't written in a way that I liked, and most of them seemed to be based upon the same couple of topics, none of which piqued my interest. For a fan of poetry though, I'm sure the book would be a hit.

[Samantha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Survived this book of poetry... but not in a good way. I got about halfway through and couldn't wait to be done. I did not relate to any of the poems and only enjoyed 2/100. When I realized the last 70 pages were just about the poets I kind of sighed with relief... :/

Feel bad for my review, but it is the truth. Not my cup of tea. Far too disjointed collection for me.