Synopses & Reviews
In this fresh poetry collection, Kevin Stein tussles with the current American moments skewed notions of social and aesthetic value. His gallery of subjects is bracingly contemporary, including Gold Star Mothers whove lost a child to war, nightshift factory workers, estranged veterans, guitarist Les Paul, one couples yard sale romance, a dogs Valentine poem, and even riffs on toilet paper, Herodotus, congressional discord, and league bowlers. To each, Stein brings both empathy and an astute eye for cultural foibles. He maps his poetic province from this welter, grappling with Li Pos quest for lyrical detachment as well as the counter urge for communal engagement. These poems—formally inventive and refreshingly accessible, at turns darkly humorous and trippingly caustic—pull no punches. They pose fundamental questions of self and art in the modern era.
Review
“Playful and serious, a tour de force that covers expansive, intimate landscapes. Robust in scope and breadth, this collection doesnt exchange any glancing blows; everythings up front and grounded in a personal lyricism.” —Yusef Komunyakaa, author, The Chameleon Couch
Review
“Intense, provocative, ever-so-timely—yet timeless—Kevin Steins Wrestling Li Po for the Remote melds dazzling specificity with philosophical expansiveness. The level of creativity, thoughtfulness, and craft in this brilliant, multifaceted book is astonishing and impossible to forget.” —Susan Hahn, author, The Six Granddaughters of Cecil Slaughter
About the Author
Kevin Stein is a poet and essayist whose work has appeared in numerous journals, including American Poetry Review, Boulevard, Colorado Review, the Kenyon Review, Poetry, and TriQuarterly. He has written 11 books, including American Ghost Roses, Poetrys Afterlife, and Sufficiency of the Actual. He is a teacher at Bradley University and has served as Illinois Poet Laureate since 2003. He lives in Dunlap, Illinois.