Synopses & Reviews
A poetic documentary, the title reflects the biological marker of maleness, the "XY" chromosome. This poetic documentary of 170 poems celebrates the complex lives of men at the end of the twentieth century. The poets, male and female, young and old, straight, gay, adopted personas, and ethnically diverse have written about masculine myths, mysteries, and every day life with honesty and tenderness. The book is organized into files representing facets of the male experience: work, love, fathers and sons, outdoor life, the body, risk taking, archetypes, elegies and what men talk about. The editors note that the book is dedicated to the men in their lives who challenged us, cherished us, infuriated us and been our allies.
Review
Now my favorite poetry collection on the shelves, XY Files leaves me envious beyond Freud's reckoning. (Jessica English, Weekly Alibi, Aug. 1997)
Review
How can women edit a book about men?` ask the editors of the XY Files on the very first page of this book. The XY Files really do get down to the basics of masculinity, both experienced and observed There is a lot to dig into in the nearly 200 poems in this admirably frank volume. (Dragonsmoke, v.7, #2, Aug. 1997)
Review
...balanced, sensitive and insightful treatment of the male experience. (Journal of Family Life, Nov, 1997)
Synopsis
The title reflects the biological marker of maleness, the "XY" chromosome.The poetic documentary of 170 poems celebrates the complex lives of men at the end of the twentieth century. The poets, male and female, young and old, straight, gay, adopted personas, and ethnically diverse have written about masculine myths, mysteries, and every day life with honesty and tenderness.
The book is organized into files representing facets of the male experience: work, love, fathers and sons, outdoor life, the body, risk taking, archetypes, elegies and what men talk about. The editors note that the book is dedicated to the men in their lives who "challenged us, cherished us, infuriated us and been our allies."