Blue Rose

by Carol Muske-Dukes

A new collection of emotionally rich, issue-oriented poems from an award-winning poet whose work "has long been essential reading" (Jorie Graham)


Carol Muske-Dukes has won acclaim for poetry that marries sophisticated intelligence, emotional resonance, and lyrical intensity. The poems in her new collection, Blue Rose, navigate around the idea of the unattainable - the elusive nature of poetry, of knowledge, of the fact that we know so little of the lives of others, of the world in which we live. Some poems respond to matters of women, birth, and the struggle for reproductive rights, or to issues like gun control and climate change, while others draw inspiration from the lives of women who persisted outside of convention, in poetry, art, science: the painter Paula Modersohn-Becker, the scientist and X-ray crystallographer Rosalind Franklin, and the Californian poet and writer Ina Coolbrith, the first poet laureate ever appointed in America.

Genres: Poetry, Nonfiction

80 pages, Paperback

First published April 3, 2018

About the author

Carol Muske-Dukes (born in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1945) is an American poet, novelist, essayist, critic, and professor, and the former poet laureate of California (2008–2011). Her most recent book of poetry, Sparrow (Random House, 2003), chronicling the love and loss of Muske-Dukes’ late husband, actor David Dukes, was a National Book Award finalist.

(from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Roxane · Rating 3 out of 5]

These poems weren't my cup of tea. They're clearly well-constructed, intelligent and they invoke a sense of the epic. I just didn't connect to many of them or even really understand them. The poems "Rain" and "Gun Control," were very good. I also enjoyed, "No Hands."

[Lexi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. This is the smartest written poetry I’ve ever read. Her poetry is so far beyond me it’s too much at times. Heartbreaking and impactful, this poet is truly talented.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

A few misses, but the hits hit so hard it makes it worth the price of admission.

[Cecilia Woloch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love these poems -- complex, brilliant, profoundly feminist -- and I was especially struck, when I read the book, by how beautifully constructed it is, opening and closing with the haunting image of the blue rose. Muske Dukes deals with material that's difficult emotionally, intellectually and spiritually, and she doesn't let herself or her reader off the hook. I especially appreciate the poems that shine light into the lives of women whose accomplishments and trials have gone mostly unacknowledged.

[Patti K · Rating 4 out of 5]

A 2018 book of poems that feels intimate and conversational. The wonder
and mystery of a blue rose as metaphor for life and love. She writes lovingly
of her daughter to whom the book is dedicated. A poem for her mother that ends:
"You taught me everything but how to let you die." Giving birth, feeling like an
orphan, cultural changes, and children. A domestic sort of book that is very
enjoyable for what it is.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am very glad I read these poems. I was struck several times by the lyrical turns of phrase she would use. The poems celebrate women, they speak to the reality of life in this world, and in the past. They caused me to think and celebrate - two of my favorite things to do. I really liked these poems.

[Empanadani · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love reading poetry. It's like entering a meditative trance. I enjoyed reading her poems. They were intellectual, beautiful. I am not cultured enough, so I did not understand some of the references. I could only really connect with the poems that I understood. But it was a pleasure reading most of them and finding my way through to the end.

[Cheryl Walsh · Rating 2 out of 5]

I connected with several of the poems in this collection and found them moving. Many are too abstruse for me (more a criticism of me as reader than of the poems). Several politically charged poems didn't hit me on an emotional level, however much I might agree with the politics. I'm glad I read it, but it's not a keeper. Another poetry lover will undoubtedly enjoy it more.

[Jenny Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were a few poems I enjoyed, but often I had trouble figuring out what Muske-Dukes was trying to say. I didn't realize until the end that this collection wasn't a cohesive whole so much as an assortment of previously published works.

[Theremin Poisoning · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is why I read women poets.

[Stacie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting images from time to time.

[Kris Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Relived to read (via Goodreads) that Roxane Gay didn't understand these poems either

[singingoutl000ud · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Such lovely and intricate prose. Loved it and highly recommend it.

[Jay Semeniuk · Rating 3 out of 5]

some really great poems that resonated with me but overall a normal poetry book. definitely worth the read

[Kayla Dae Page · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this collection and it's a California author! Recommended for sure. Did you know that they used to be the poet laureate?