Synopses & Reviews
Poetry. Ken Waldman's AS THE WORLD BURNS is the sixth collection from this Alaska poet who is also a touring musician. "A hugely ambitious book, containing over 60 mostly Petrarchan sonnets. Waldman imagines himself in George W's head and goes from there. Scary stuff! It is a rare but great thing to see a contemporary poet working in the satirical tradition of Dryden, Pope, and Swift....AS THE WORLD BURNS is more than a poetic protest against the way the world is going; although it is that too. It achieves the almost impossible by forcing the reader to comes to terms with George W. Bush, the three dimensional human being"--Nth Position. "Strongly recommended reading in this current political season"--Midwest Book Review. "My guess is that all those folks on the Left will need all the help they can get making it through the next two years, and Waldman's humor, on the page and in audio form, will be welcomed medicine"--Sing Out!
About the Author
A former college professor, Ken Waldman has had published six full-length poetry collections, a memoir, and has released seven CDs that combine old-time Appalachian-style string-band music with original poetry. Since 1994 he's worked full-time as Alaska's Fiddling Poet, performing at some of the nation's leading universities, festivals, arts centers, and clubs. Over 400 of his poems and stories have appeared in such journals as Beloit Poetry Journal, Quarterly West, and Yankee.