Hardscrabble

In his debut, McFadden is big on wordplay, particularly anagrams. Attempting to make meaning of the similarities in words—how words as arrangements of letters may connect associatively—McFadden fashions a book too coherent to be Language Poetry, though it certainly pays its respects: “Can't tell your oh from your ah? Go, go or else/ go ga-ga. What, were you born in a barn? Oh.” Longer poems show a less self-conscious and more ruminative sensibility. In “Famed Cities,” the narrator reflects on memories of growing up in Ohio via a survey of cities in short poems rife with both cynicism and nostalgia. Typically, Cleveland is broken down to word bits: “C-level fits:/ the even keel, average but no slacker.” The poems are often a mouthful, and one occasionally wants more seriousness, but this debut showcases a wild and powerful wit in action. (Apr.)