Earl S. Braggs

Braggs cycles from city to city with gorgeous language rhythms of some passages that are little short of magic. Music and struggle run so consistently through the collection that, even as a collection that collects poems from his earlier works, it pulls together wonderfully, and sweeps along readers through different geographies, times, arts, and wonders. All told, it's a funny sort of mix of urban reality and imagined hopes that seem more magical than real.

There are moments here that literally stopped me in my tracks, forcing me to pause before moving on or turning a page, forcing me to re-read and re-think what I'd come across, simple as the language often was. There were others that made me feel like I'd traveled to a different city or wandered into a travel book, or left behind poetry for sketches of travel and journaling, but with each turn, I was fascinated and pulled along.

The language is accessible for readers who veer less toward poetry, but packed with enough meaning and beauty to keep poetry-lovers enthralled.

Simply, I recommend it, and I'm sorry it took me so long to discover Braggs' work.… (altro)