Book Description

Winner of the 16th Annual Writers Digest Self-Published Award for Poetry, 2008 An Eric Hoffer Book Award Winner, 2007 I am always happy to drop everything--pretty nearly--when I make the acquaintance of a new poet as good as E.M. Schorb. James Dickey The poems of E.M. Schorb shine calmly even as they buzz with energy; are connaissant with the world and yet transcendent of it; make something deeply funny and yet highly sad--given a world and a time and a good minds eye. This is the work of a mature intelligence, its ironies unadulterated by cynicism, and its swells informed by understatement. Heather McHugh Schorbs poetry is rich with humor and an almost gestaltic sense of clarity; this unique voice allows him to maintain a tonal unity while moving through a variety of forms. Raymond Thibodeaux, "New Delta Review" Schorb draws from science, art, literary history, and popular culture, balancing these subjects in a thoughtfully conceived and organized book. Lurking behind all is the danger and violence of life--call it mans and natures inhumanity to each other--which Schorb handles maturely, without cynicism, and often with a humor that places him somewhere between Marvin Bell and Kenneth Koch. Todd Verdun, "The Carolina Quarterly" I think Ed Schorb is one of our very finest poets. Some of the poems are breathtaking both for their literary skill and for their human appeal. E.M. Schorbs work has range, variety, wit, depth and a zest for both language and life. Anthony S. Abbott,poet and author of the Novello Prize winning novel, Leaving Maggie Hope "Schorb's poems are good modern poems, on a high literary level--some are touched with greatness." Cornel Lengyel, poet, playwright, publisher: Dragon's Teeth Press