The Paris Review, Issue 228, Spring 2019

by Emily Nemens (Editor)

Carl Phillips on the Art of Poetry: "Conformity bores me, as does predictability. I want stability in my life, sure, but on my own terms. And I don't go to poems for that stability." Lawrence Ferlinghetti on the Art of Poetry: "I'm not at all interested in talking about method. You might say it's a stage secret. That's what the poet thrives on."

Fiction by Nick Fuller Googins, Peter Orner, Isaac Bashevis Singer, J. Jezewska Stevens, Souvankham Thammavongsa, Hebe Uhart, and Kate Zambreno.

Poetry by Kaveh Akbar, John Ashbery, Malachi Black, Franny Choi, John Lee Clark, Eduardo C. Corral, Taylor Johnson, Bhanu Kapil, Philip Metres, Natalie Scenters-Zapico, Evie Shockley, Danez Smith, Patricia Smith, Brandon Som, James Tate, and Monica Youn.

Nonfiction by Sarah Manguso. A portfolio by Francesca DiMattio, with an essay by Major Jackson.

Genres: Poetry, Short Stories, Fiction

222 pages, Perfectbound

First published March 1, 2019

About the author

Emily Nemens’s debut novel, The Cactus League, was a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice and named one of NPR’s and Lit Hub’s favorite books of 2020. Her stories have appeared in BOMB, The Gettysburg Review, n+1, and elsewhere; her illustrations have appeared in The New Yorker and in collaboration with Harvey Pekar. Nemens spent over a decade editing literary quarterlies, including leading The Paris Review and serving as co-editor and prose editor of The Southern Review. She held the 2022–23 Picador Professorship (University of Leipzig) and teaches in the MFA program at Bennington College. She lives in central New Jersey with her husband and dog.

Reviews

[Erika Dreifus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots to appreciate in this issue, especially in prose. The powerful opening piece, Peter Orner's "Ineffectual Tribute to Len," drew me in; ultimately, I began to think of it a noteworthy complement to Rebecca Makkai's also-powerful THE GREAT BELIEVERS, which has remained with me since reading it at the start of this year. Reliably excellent "art of" interviews with Carl Phillips and Lawrence Ferlinghetti, too.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strong issue. Highlights for me were the Lawrence Ferlinghetti interview, Peter Orner’s short story “Ineffectual Tribute to Len”, and Philip Metres’ poem “The Refugee Considers the Faucet”, which includes these wonderful lines: “We have walked so long / Our home has narrowed / To the width of our shoes / And what we can carry.”

[Sue Bridehead (A Pseudonym) · Rating 4 out of 5]

It only took me three years, but I did it. I finished this and I do indeed feel smart.

Highlights for me: the Ferlinghetti interview, Patricia Smith’s poem “You’re Gonna Write This,” Nick Fuller Googins’ “The Doors,” and James Tate’s “Elvis Has Left the House.” But it’s all good, of course. The last three lines of Monica Youn’s poem “Study of Two Figures” are great too.

[Ned · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really liked the Interview with Lawrence Ferlinghetti in this. Odd to me it took so long for this to get done in this venue. Glad he got to live so long, do so much, and effect so many. He really did stand at a bridgehead of American writing for most of the 20th century with a consequent ton of influence that seems impossibly distant in this internet age. Sad he then died recently. But he certainly got more years and did more than most!

[Kaiju Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

The interview with Carl Philips is a must read and not necessarily just for poets.

Other standouts for me were: Oceans by Sarah Manguso, Ineffectual Tribute by Peter Orner, and Gas Station by Souvankham Thammavongsa (brilliantly sexualizes the mundane).

Loaded with solid poetry. I liked Brandon Som's, Evie Shockley's (prose), and John Ashbery's the best.

[Tilda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Consistently solid with some of the best and most unique writing. Highlights were ‘Honeymoon’ by J. Jezewska Stevens, Peter Orner’s ‘Ineffectual Tribute to Len’ and ‘The Doors’ by Nick Fuller Googins. As usual, I wish I could better appreciate the poetry.