Contemporary commentary on poems old and new. At first I was surprised at the age of some of the included poems, but it is a nice variety and will be great for students or individuals.

The Difference is Spreading: Fifty Contemporary Poets on Fifty Poems is a volume edited by Al Filreis and Anna Strong Safford, inspired by the Modern Poetry (ModPo) MOOC, a popular free online course in the appreciation of modern and contemporary poetry, focusing on the American tradition. The concept of getting fifty poets to comment on fifty works of other poets underlines the fact that the interpretation of a work of literature is in itself a creative enterprise. This is particularly true of poetry which, as a form, often tends to rely on symbols and metaphors pregnant with personal meaning. As a book this feels quite academic, with the critiques of the poems often delving into the formal techniques used in the chosen pieces. Yet this never eschews the sense of a “personal” reading. This is an eye-opening, mind-expanding book, whether for students of poetry, lovers of the genre or readers who would like to explore beyond narrative and prose.

This was quite different than what I expected, but I really did enjoy it. The Difference is Spreading is a book where poets write on other famous poems, helping others to understand them at a deeper level. This collection is perfect for people who love poetry, but need some help comprehending!

This is a book that talks about different classical poems which are analyzed by different contemporary poets. The poets have gone serious in their description and have analyzed almost all the aspects of the poems. The critical analysis was something to read and being a literature major, I enjoyed it all immensely.

The writing style of the book varies as there are so many different authors. Despite it being a compilation of so many authors, the work didn’t feel bulky or crowded. There was enough breathing space with long and short pieces balanced properly by the curator.

Most of the authors that were analyzed in the series were known to me but most of the poems that were analyzed were new to me. It felt great to read more insights into the poems that I haven’t read beforehand. I had a fun time reading the poem, then analyzing them for myself, then reading the analysis of the contemporary poet. It improved my understanding of poetry and helped me become a better reader.

This book began from the syllabus of the online course called ModPo hosted by Kelly Writers House at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Most of the books here have been covered in this course and have commentary from the poets who discussed it in the course. The community that emerged as the result of the ModPo courses is what inspired the compilation of this book. it is something that is representative of the community that likes to talk about poetry, to discuss several genres of poetry, style of poetry writing, language changes, criticism, and many other factors related to literature.

The reader’s engagement while reading poetry is what is the objective of this book. The close reading of the poetry while enjoying it and discussing it with others give the words a different type of meaning. This book makes it easier for readers to indulge in poetry and its close reading. The support of the contemporary poets adds to the understanding of an individual and makes the reading experience better.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book. If you are into classics and classic poetry, then you should pick this up. If you are a literature student who wishes to understand the art of critical analysis in depth, then this might be something that you would enjoy and be enriched with.

Note – This was an e-ARC copy provided to me by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange of an honest review. All the thoughts are my own and honest representation of my experience.

This is a very academic book that accompanies that popular free online ModPo course on poetry. Each poem is discussed by a modern poet. I wasn't a big fan of many of the poems and the discussions were often very intellectual and focused quite a bit on the mechanics of the poems. I did find a few new favorite poems and poets and I did enjoy some of the essays, while others weren't very interesting to me. It is written for a college level course and very much feels like it, for the good and bad. You'll learn a lot about reading poetry, but not necessarily as much about feeling poetry. Still a great resource and quite interesting at times.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for review.