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"I am constantly struck by how strong and pliant Stephen Bett's line is, the image understated, the music so subtle it dances almost unnoticed." --Ken Cathers "Poetic minimalism is notoriously difficult to master. Yet Track This manipulates the sparse format so aptly that the outcome is a poignant expression of the tensions that exist on the page. The collection demonstrates the understated gentleness of the English language with a human voice that makes the poetry so accessible to the layperson (while it beckons multiple readings from the widely read). To satisfy both types of readers is an incredible accomplishment." ― Orchid Tierney, REM magazine (New Zealand) "Track This made me fall in love at first sight with Bett's work... the hallmark of authentic poetry is the ability to inspire a determined thought process and― 'I wish I could I write like that!'" -- Tuesday Poem Those Godawful Streets of Man... "This is minimalism for readers who like their poems fat: rich, but sans impasto or ornament. A book of raw wire in the city: edgy, tense, sharp, angular, dangerous... Musically, rhythmically, the poet is adroit, fluid, as graceful as Sonny Rollins on a good day. You can feel those tight turns, drops, and ascents as you might on a carnival ride; Bett doesn't waste a word, but pastes you to the back of your vernacular cage. You are in for the ride. Line for line, strophe for strophe, image for image, Stephen Bett's latest delivers the news, along with the tart taste of jazz and blues." ― Richard Stevenson, Pacific Rim Review of Books |