Dangerous Amusements: Poems

by Jon Davis

Poems deal with art, philosophy, nature, death, marriage, travel, childhood, family life, religion, and the past

Genres: Poetry

75 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

Jon Davis is the author of five chapbooks and six books of poetry; he has received numerous awards, including a Lannan Literary Award, two National Endowment for the Arts Fellowships, and the Lavan Younger Poets Award from the Academy of American Poets. He earned his MFA from the University of Montana, and founded and directed the low-residency MFA in creative writing at the Institute of American Indian Arts. In 2012, he was selected as Poet Laureate of Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Reviews

[Christopher Paludi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the poems in this debut—especially “Breath,” ‘Mozart,’ and scattered others across the first half of the work—are for me absolutely top-notch. For his sensitive ear to diction and rhythm, as well as for his deep well of compassion from which he artfully draws, he deserves attention. I plan to try another of his collections.

However, I was less impressed the latter half of the book. I would have given this book four stars, but as I turned the pages the impressive courtyards of observation give way to a plain colonnade of dramatic monologues. I must admit that this form is not to my taste, and one who enjoys that style may well get much more out of this section. Yet there were still several poems which were over told; sometimes (I think) a line or two could have been cut, to great effect.

My final takeaway is this: it was good and I am happy to read more.

[Mills College Library]

811.54 D2626d 1987