Love Poetry Out Loud

February 1, 2007
What better category of poems to read out loud than love poems? People have explored the raptures and torments of love through writing for centuries, and editor Rubin's newest anthology demonstrates why. His earlier anthology, " Poetry Out Loud" (1995), met with ample praise, and this book will no doubt thrill readers as much, if not more--for it targets cautious or beginning poetry readers, and will tempt anyone in love with idea of love. A playful reminder that poetry is the written song of the heart, the anthology includes work by famous and lesser-known poets from Giovanni to Graves, Shakespeare to Whitman, Parker to Plath, Toomer to T. S. Eliot. Poetry read aloud, especially on the subject of amour, seems, like writing snail-mail letters, to be a dying art in a cynical age. But this anthology may rekindle faith in the time-tested ritual of wooing with words. If not, readers will at least find pleasure in Rubin's clever and even cheeky sidebar commentary.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)