American Ghost Roses

by Kevin T. Stein

In his first book as the poet laureate of Illinois, Kevin Stein shoulders an array of poetic forms, blending pathos, humor, and social commentary. These poems--ranging from meditative narratives to improvisational lyrics--explore art's capacity to embody as well as express contemporary culture. Stein embraces subjects as various as his father's death, magazine sex surveys, Kandinsky's theory of art, the dangling modifier, Jimi Hendrix's flaming guitar, racial bigotry, and a teacher's comments on a botched poem. Presiding over this miscellany are ghosts of a peculiarly American garden of dreamers and beloved misfits, those redeemed and those left fingering the locked gate.
 

Genres: Poetry

104 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

"American Ghost Roses" is an immersion in precise vocabulary and an intense waterfall of emotion. With his unerring sense of where and when to place each word, it is no surprise that Kevin Stein is the current Illinois Poet Laureate, following in the not insignificant footsteps of previous Laureates: Howard Austin, Carl Sandburg, and Gwendolyn Brooks. I had the pleasure of attending a reading (open to the general public) by Stein at Kankakee Community College shortly after the publication of this collection of poetry, and I am deeply grateful to have had that opportunity -- it's always helpful to be able to "put the correct voice" to the words on a page.

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[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I think of this book, I think of the poetry reading where I bought it with much more fondness than for the book itself, which is decent--hit or miss.

[Cindy Peck]

Not bad for someone from Anderson, Indiana :-)

[Douglas · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid collection by a very well respected Midwestern author. Though somewhat disjointed at times and the poetic narrative a little hard to follow, the selections as a whole are high quality.