I Feel a Little Jumpy Around You: A Book of Her Poems & His Poems Presented in Pairs

As their subtitle indicates, Nye (This Same Sky) and Janeczko (Poetspeak) have paired each entry of this anthology, matching a poem by a man with one by a woman. The intention, as Nye states in her introduction, is for this presentation to ""set off little sizzles"" of ""energy and interaction"" and suggest ""how many intriguing contrasts and connections there can be between the multitudes of hes and shes."" Although established poets like W.S. Merwin, Grace Paley and Rita Dove are represented, the 190 poems here are chiefly from newer voices, some more accomplished than others. Extensive contributors' notes include the poets' answers to questions about ""the role gender has played in their lives and in their work""; this section of the book also includes, as running footnotes, excerpts from self-congratulatory faxes between the editors that provide a dialogue about their selection process. In spite of the book's apparatus, however, the majority of the poems either do not explore gender issues or can be said to do so only at the risk of reducing their significance. Similarly, although some pairings are thought-provoking, more seem forced. Nonetheless, a wealth of poems manage to slip outside the book's heavy political agenda and structural imperatives to provide a clear counterpoint to the confusing He/She duet. Ages 12-up. (May)