''Waifs and Strays'' is a book of poetry by
Micah Ballard
Micah Ballard is a poet born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on September 23, 1975. Since 1999 he has lived in San Francisco with his wife, poet Sunnylyn Thibodeaux. Under the imprints Auguste Press and Lew Gallery Editions they have printed over 30 boo ...
. The book was first published in 2011 by
City Lights
''City Lights'' is a 1931 American silent romantic comedy film written, produced, directed by, and starring Charlie Chaplin. The story follows the misadventures of Chaplin's Tramp as he falls in love with a blind girl (Virginia Cherrill) and ...
and is part of the City Lights Spotlight Series. ''Waifs and Strays'' was a finalist for the ''
California Book Award
The Commonwealth Club of California is a non-profit, non-partisan educational organization based in Northern California. Founded in 1903, it is the oldest and largest public affairs forum in the United States. Membership is open to everyone.
Ac ...
.
Reception
Reviewing the book, Jeffrey Cyphers Wright from ''
The Brooklyn Rail'' stated that "highly stylized, fairly experimental, and original, the poems rely on sequential 'disruption' underpinned by a solidly smoldering focus. The thematic transference of significance becomes a mantra of sustenance amidst an arranged wilderness, 'It is all imagined, anchored by the word.'" ''
Publishers Weekly'' further acknowledged the poet's style: "Though raised in Baton Rouge, La., Ballard now seems energetically tied to
San Francisco, since his offhand intensities, fiercely casual stance, quick free verse, and colloquial mysticism draw so frequently on two great sources of
Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Gov ...
poetics, the prophetic concentration of
Robert Duncan and the extroversion of the beats."
References
External links
''The Brooklyn Rail'' book review''Publishers Weekly'' book reviewScribd ExcerptMicah Ballard bio
2011 poetry books
American poetry collections
City Lights [
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City Lights Publishers books
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