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Ryan Wilson
WINNER OF THE 2016 DONALD JUSTICE PRIZE! “Ryan Wilson’s mastery of traditional forms serves a fresh, distinctive poetry of candor and meditation: soulful rather than brittle, more observant than performative. The idiomatic, American blank verse of Wilson’s ‘Authority’ and ‘L’Estraneo’ is as fluent as that of Robert Frost, but with an oblique tenderness that reminds me of Frost’s friend Edward Thomas.” — Robert Pinsky
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Juliana Gray
"Honeymoon Palsy throws one hell of a shindig. On the reception’s dance floor, you’ll find Claudius waltzing with Lizzie Borden, Hamlet jigging and ambling with Ophelia, and a wry 21st-century smirk in step with genuine grief. Here a wholly contemporary voice is wed to the stateliest and oldest forms of the tradition." — Dan Albergotti, author of Millennial Teeth
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Measure 11.2, 2016
In this issue: Gilbert Allen, Tony Barnstone, Bruce Bond, Kim Bridgford, Terese Coe, Moira Egan, Mark Jarman, A.M. Juster, Quincy R. Lehr, Charles Martin, Leslie Monsour, John Ridland, Thom Satterlee, Roy Scheele, N.S. Thompson, James Matthew Wilson, and many others!
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Wil Mills
"These last poems of Wil Mills reflect the life he led, a life filled with joy, wonder, and gentle wit. His carefully crafted meditations on keenly observed details of the everyday serve as urgent reminders that we should live our lives more intensely and kindly." --A.M. Juster
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Wil Mills
"As a man, a carpenter, and a poet, Wil Mills was always a craftsman, a maker of the truest sort. These poems, wrought from the places and persons of everyday life, depict the near misses and occasional collisions with what Flannery O’Connor called 'grace.'" --R.S. Gwynn
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Ernest Hilbert
WINNER OF THE 2017 POETS' PRIZE! "Caligulan delivers on all of its title's promise. Every poem evokes the world we live in: we know something is wrong and, in a minute, will likely be worse; but there's beauty in the portent and in the self-awareness we need to see it." — Erica Dawson
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Ned Balbo
"In his fourth book of poetry, Ned Balbo finds bits of the true history of our time in what we thoughtlessly discard: comic books, old postcards, stories torn out of yellowed newspapers, decayed superheroes — even 'a timepiece not yet obsolete.' The elegant poems he makes from these discards offer us a way of navigating and celebrating the contradictions of our time. It should come as no surprise that in the title poem, this skillful formalist reveals himself as a true heir of Paumanok’s great bard." —Charles Martin
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A.M. Juster
"This is verse with a light touch and a keen edge, whether Juster is bringing Horace into English — where he sounds like a contemporary well-acquainted with the goings-on in the smoke-filled backrooms of Washington, D.C. — or borrowing the persona of Billy Collins...." — Alfred Nicol
2015 X.J. Kennedy Parody Award
Congratulations to the winner and runners-up of the 2015 X.J. Kennedy Parody Award chosen by judge Tony Barnstone! Thanks for all the outstanding entries this year! Winner: “Another Art” John Ridland Runners-up: “Irretrievable Breakdown” Brian Algar “Pack Rat” Catherine Chandler “Election Day” James Hamby “God’s World” Joseph Hart “Parody of 465” Laura Maffei “Emily Dickinson Becomes an Honorary Kardashian” Susan McLean “The Breakfast Eaters. Seven at the Golden Waffle” Marilyn Taylor “Because I Could Not Stop for Hate” Susan White “Poe Pourri” William Wilborn “Blur” Katherine Williams
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Upcoming Music Issue!
CALLING ALL POETS AND SONGWRITERS! Measure, A Review of Formal Poetry is putting together their second rock ‘n roll edition, tentatively forthcoming in 2017. The last issue featured interviews, lyrics, and poetry from Joseph Arthur (who also did the cover design), Kelly Cherry, John Darnielle (the Mountain Goats), Jason Isbell, Seamus Heaney, Donald Justice, John Roderick, Sufjan Stevens, Gillian Welch, Lucinda Williams and more. We are looking for poetry that addresses music (either in a historical or personal way) through meter or song lyrics. We are also looking for poetry of any kind written by people who consider themselves songwriters primarily (for example, Jason Isbell wrote a free verse poem last time: that kind of exploration is welcome). We will also read interviews with poets about music or songwriters about their craft or poetry. To submit, please go to http://measurepress.com/ and select “Music Issue” on the pull-down submission box.
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Erica Dawson
WINNER OF THE 2016 POETS' PRIZE! "... Her words never subside into shopworn sounds, each poem displaying her rare and enviable genius for making verse sing, which is to say croon, caterwaul, belt, syncopate, wail." — David Yezzi