Joel Allegretti

Europa / Nippon / New York: Poems / Not-poems Joel Allegretti

"In 'Europa/Nippon/New York,' Joel Allegretti reminds us that history tells the story of cultures, not just the story of political conflict, and that history itself, though not-poem, re-posits all the stuff ? the cathedrals and gargoyles, the rubble and voices from the rubble, the traditions and innovators ? that make poetry possible. Humming and shimmering through time, all that stuff waits patiently for the right collector to come along and provide the right vision to bring it into a particularly poignant focus. And look: Here he is." -- Brian Clements, Founding Editor, "Sentence: A Journal of Prose Poetics"; "Everything instructs, engages, and delights us through the wide-angle lens of this wonderful new collection where 'the next world is the next movie.' Under many and varied guises and personae, Allegretti manages to negotiate the 'assertive press of the tongue against the roof' in one poem, a 'diabolical staircase' in another, and even 'the snow on the sea' in yet another remarkable lyric. It?s all here: from documentary technique to complex political and historical commentary, to pithy aphorisms, haiku, and large-hearted social consciousness ? and all so artfully and surprisingly integrated, too." -- Peter Covino, Winner of the 2007 PEN/Joyce Osterweil Award for Poetry; "Come, children, and take your seat for 'Europa/Nippon/New York,' where Joel Allegretti spans the globe with ears to the ground and eyes toward the stars. 'The next world is the next movie,' the poet writes. Phantoms, chanson, Godzilla, bread and wine, riddlers-to-be roll through the projector-light of the poet?s wildly associative forms, his unforced epiphanies and extravagant voice. -- Daniel Nester Author, "How to Be Inappropriate"