The Ledge: Poems

by Michael Collier

A new collection of poetry by the director of the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference, which celebrates its seventy-fifth anniversary in 2000. "Dark splendor" are the words Edward Hirsch uses to describe the poems of the award-winning author Michael Collier. Collier's new work balances on the ledge between the everyday and the unknown, revealing the hidden depths of relationships. The poems in THE LEDGE are narrative and colloquial, musical and crystalline, at once intimate and sharp-edged. They render the world beautifully mysterious as they slide into unexpected emotional territory. A son loses his father's favorite hammer, and with it his trust. In "The Wave," the enthusiastic crowd at a baseball game rises and sits in frightening unison, belying their hopeful cheering. In "Fathom and League," a dive two miles deep in the Pacific reveals the submerged volcanoes of the ocean and the soul. In many of the poems, the familiar animal world - of dogs and sparrows and possums in the yard - transfigures the view through a window. As director of the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference, Collier has reinvigorated one of America's most important literary institutions. The artistry and directness of THE LEDGE confirm his place among the most significant poets of his generation.

Genres: Poetry

80 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 19, 2000

About the author

Michael Robert Collier is an American poet, teacher, creative writing program administrator and editor. He has published five books of original poetry, a translation of Euripedes' Medea, a book of prose pieces about poetry, and has edited three anthologies of poetry. From 2001 to 2004 he was the Poet Laureate of Maryland. As of 2011, he is the director of the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference, a professor of creative writing at the University of Maryland, College Park and the poetry editorial consultant for Houghton Mifflin (now Houghton Mifflin Harcourt).

Reviews

[HystericalRed · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Ledge is full of simple scenes that aren't particularly interesting, though they could have been if Collier had made some kind of meaningful commentary on them. Unfortunately, this collection has all the sound, technique, and language of poetry without the heart; that is to say - I felt nothing. There are good stanzas buried here and there, but they are cheapened by all the one dimensional fluff surrounding. I think this collection is poorly curated, the better half being towards the end after the "meh" impression has already been made. I don't think anything from The Ledge will leave a lasting impression for me.

[Kasandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked at random in a used bookstore, there are some gems here, including Argos, Cerberus, Long Summer, The Blame, and Keats and Francesca (my favorite by far and the closing poem). Solid poetry, hard to categorize. A couple of ghazal but otherwise no forms, meter, rhyme, or unifying impulses for the most part. Understated and accomplished.

[M · Rating 4 out of 5]

behind the meadowy zippers of color

[Bethany · Rating 3 out of 5]

Think "127 Hours" meets "Touching the Void" and you have The Ledge.

Based on a true story about two guys who hiked Mt Ranier one fateful day - the book takes weaves from present to past in a tangible way so that everything before ties into to what happens later. The author was personable - giving insight into what makes "those people" who risk their lives to climb mountains tick... what drives them up the next mountain and what keeps them going even after significant trauma and loss. This book, while nothing new under the general category of mountaineering books, is a story of friendship, of love of nature and a memorium to those who loose their lives doing what they loved best.

[Charles · Rating 3 out of 5]

Michael Collier taught at UMCP and read some of his poems at my department's graduation. I still remember the one about Odysseus's dog. It's powerful.

Another fun side note: He used one of the poems in this book when he was invited to compete in a poetry slam against some local high school students. It's about the time someone walked in on him naked.