Each Perfected Name

by Richard St. John

The poems in "Each Perfected Name" are about many seeing the sacred in the ordinary, recalling the beloved fragility we all carry with us, and wondering what we should do in the world with the stories and symbols that shape us. These meditative, conversational, yet carefully crafted poems are about Odysseus, Aristotle, and the G-20 Summit; planets, quarks, and stars; urban landscapes, the problem of the soul, and so much more.

89 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2015

About the author

Richard St. John is a nationally published poet whose books include The Pure Inconstancy of Grace (Truman State University Press, 2005), runner up in the 2004 T. S. Eliot Prize for Poetry, and Shrine (2011), a chapbook. His work has also appeared in The Sewanee Review, Poet Lore, and Chautauqua, as well as many other periodicals and anthologies. He has given readings across the country, connecting not only with literary audiences but also with listeners new to poetry. He has degrees in English from Princeton University and the University of Virginia. In 2002, he completed a mid-career Loeb Fellowship at Harvard University. He lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with his wife, Kate.

Reviews

[Mike Staresinic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great poems of Rick St. John's insight into people that he has continued too pursue and deepen in a stunning new volume of masterful writing, "The Book of Entangled Souls," his masterpiece, which makes "Each Perfected Name" worth again returning to as a kind of prelude.

[Timons Esaias]

I worked my way through this collection slowly, because the poems are not to be hurried. They were crafted with great care, and two or three is quite a sufficient dose for an afternoon.

I loved that there are poem series scattered through the collection: four poems referring to Pluto, four poems on Penelope and the returnees from Troy, rebirth & resurrection poems. Since my high school prom was perhaps the worst night of my life -- second worst, tops -- I cringed at "Prom Night" and its realism; which meant it was very successful. I always admire St. John's mixture of literary reference and gritty urban observation.

I suspect I may teach from this volume in the future, so I'll end with just one comment. The title poem, the last poem, "Each Perfected Name" is a masterpiece. I would be unable to read it aloud, without breaking down. A masterpiece.