Best American Poetry, 1995

Howard's selection of 75 poems for this annual series edited by David Lehman will delight fans of formal traditions but may disappoint readers looking for poetry of socially conscious engagement, L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E-school experimentation or non-white experience. While the works range widely in subject, in style the influence of New Formalism is pervasive--a cerebral tone and Latinate word choice give many poems a self-conscious, overwritten feel. Painful subjects, such as breast cancer, are often buried in obscure references that distance emotional response; even poems drawing from pop culture demonstrate an insular aspect. Where formal constraint combines with authentic voice, we are rewarded with powerful works: the radical brilliance of Molly Peacock, Grace Schulman's intelligent tenderness and David Wojahn's complex insight. J.D. McClatchy addresses mortality with candor and humor in ``My Mammogram,'' and Rafael Campo infuses biting political indictment with personal sorrow in ``The Battle Hymn of the Republic.'' A brief commentary by each of the writers on his/her poem gives a captivating glimpse into the writer's mind and an index lists poems and poets represented in the previous seven volumes of the series. (Sept.)