Book Description

Americans, as a whole, are not and never have been poetic people. Yes, we do have a few exceptions that prove the rule—Dickinson, Poe, Frost. Nonetheless, we are a country steeped in missions of religious and economic freedom, of the corrosive mythologies of manifest destiny, and of hypernationalistic exceptionalism. The legitimation of pursuit is enshrined in our founding documents. Thus, it is a matter of great consequence to come upon not one but two true American poets, such as the Characturess and the Writing Caruso, both of whom have cultural roots in inherently poetic communities. Their voices are able to access a primal dimension, unfettered by anthropocentric superficialities.