Invisible Strings: 113 Poets Respond to the Songs of Taylor Swift

In this star-studded anthology, self-professed “Swiftie fangirl” Frederick Daugherty collects 113 poems inspired by the pop star’s music. Readers familiar with Swift’s oeuvre will delight in piecing together which songs go with which poems. Swift’s primary themes of love and heartache abound, and no one handles these better than Richard Siken, whose contribution “Close” includes the Swiftian lines “A barn dance, an icy road, a starry sky, a sudden glow—/ we were fluent in the language of it/... You were my best escape, my worst mistake.” Many of the poets adopt a style that mimics song lyrics, including Pulitzer winner Diane Seuss: “I was feather-young,/ just seven. Too young to believe// in heaven, or to know how to cry/ when something dies./ Then came my romantic era./ I was sassafras-leaf-green. Barely thirteen.” Kim Addonizio, Joy Harjo, Brenda Hillman, Major Jackson, and Yusef Komunyakaa are also featured, among other luminaries. In a postscript titled “Outros,” contributors explain the unique process used in crafting their homage. The result is an excellent introduction to contemporary American poetry for Swift’s fans. (Dec.)