{"title":"Michael Waters","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMichael Waters\u003c\/strong\u003e is the author of numerous poetry collections, including eight from BOA Editions: \u003cem\u003ePagan Sky: New and Selected Poems 2000-2025\u003c\/em\u003e (2026); \u003cem\u003eCaw\u003c\/em\u003e (2020); \u003cem\u003eCelestial Joyride\u003c\/em\u003e (2016); \u003cem\u003eGospel Night\u003c\/em\u003e (2011); \u003cem\u003eDarling Vulgarity\u003c\/em\u003e (2006), a finalist for the \u003cem\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/em\u003e Book Prize; \u003cem\u003eParthenopi: New and Selected Poems \u003c\/em\u003e(2001), a finalist for the Paterson Poetry Prize; \u003cem\u003eGreen Ash, Red Maple, Black Gum\u003c\/em\u003e (1997); and \u003cem\u003eNot Just Any Death\u003c\/em\u003e (1979). He is co-editor of \u003cem\u003eContemporary American Poetry\u003c\/em\u003e (Houghton Mifflin, 2006), and editor of \u003cem\u003eThe Selected Poems of A. Poulin, Jr. \u003c\/em\u003e(BOA Editions, 2001). \u003cspan\u003eHis honors include fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, Fulbright Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts, five Pushcart Prizes, and Individual Artist Awards from the Maryland State Arts Council and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.\u003c\/span\u003e For more information about Michael Waters, visit \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.michael-waters.com\/\" title=\"Michael Waters website\"\u003emichael-waters.com\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"green-ash-red-maple-black-gum","title":"Green Ash, Red Maple, Black Gum","description":"\u003cp\u003eMichael Waters writes vivid, sensual poems that fuse our longings in this world with the human urge to glimpse whatever lies beyond. Waters' muse is Walt Whitman and, like much of Whitman's work, his poems challenge us to abide one another and embrace humanity's imperfections. Waters' generous poems, crafted syllable by syllable, speak to love and loss, our foibles and shortcomings, and the possibility of aesthetic and spiritual transcendence. \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWasps\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003efor my father \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDead C battery, souvenir lighter, spool of thread,\u003cbr\u003elipstick tube lacking a smudge of red:\u003cbr\u003ewe'd rummage junk drawers to fill the squares.\u003cbr\u003eBut the lost chessmen?\u003cbr\u003e— they click against glass, black\u003cbr\u003ebishops bidding me open the window,\u003cbr\u003ewheedling a wary God to release them\u003cbr\u003eto crusade for their king gone ahead to Jerusalem.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e©BOA Editions, Ltd 1997 \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAvailable editions: \u003cbr\u003e--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\u003cbr\u003ePrice: $12.50 \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":null,"offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":8418506309,"sku":"1-880238-43-8","price":12.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0982\/0178\/products\/GREEN_ASH_RED_MAPLE.jpg?v=1527683271"},{"product_id":"parthenopi-new-and-selected-poems","title":"Parthenopi: New and Selected Poems","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn the title poem of this collection, the speaker declares that “the common measure of love is loss,” a signature motif of the work of Michael Waters, one of the finest poets of his generation. \u003cem\u003eParthenopi: New and Selected Poems\u003c\/em\u003e blends the best of Waters’ vivid and sensual poems from his previous collections with new work. Like Whitman, Waters challenges us to embrace humanity’s imperfections while, at the same time, urging us toward new spiritual realities. Riding the confluence of idea and metaphor, these poems maintain their psychological intensity even as they evoke sharp memories and the various dynamics of emotional aftermath.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eScotch and Sun\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Home from night shift, my father \u003cbr\u003e was too wired from fighting warehouse fires\u003cbr\u003e to sleep--so he'd sip several Dewar's,\u003cbr\u003e then rouse me for a morning at the beach.\u003cbr\u003e There the combination of scotch and sun\u003cbr\u003e would knock him out for a couple hours\u003cbr\u003e while I invented tasks near the breakage--\u003cbr\u003e skimming clam shells, counting one-legged gulls--\u003cbr\u003e till he woke to hoist me onto his shoulders\u003cbr\u003e and march into the sea, deeper with each step.\u003cbr\u003e He'd look down to find a boy propped there,\u003cbr\u003e his blazing, acceptable burden, his crown, almost\u003cbr\u003e an abstraction shimmering from his skull, \u003cbr\u003e some image of himself he once believed he'd been.\u003cbr\u003e Then arch his neck to shut away the glare. \u003cbr\u003e That noon I leaned too far back, back until my head\u003cbr\u003e dipped into the combers, then below...\u003cbr\u003e I struggled, thrashing my legs, \u003cbr\u003e but my father clasped them tighter, closer\u003cbr\u003e to his chest, oblivious, and went on\u003cbr\u003e breasting the rollers, teasing the undertow.\u003cbr\u003e Those broad shoulders eclipsed the sun. \u003cbr\u003e Then hands grasped my hair--I was choking--\u003cbr\u003e while my startled father stammered excuses\u003cbr\u003e to the impromptu chorus of gawking bathers.\u003cbr\u003e He was more surprised than I, more scared.\u003cbr\u003e He shook when he told my furious mother.\u003cbr\u003e He simply had no idea, he said. Jesus,\u003cbr\u003e that boy almost drowned\u003cbr\u003e though I held him in my arms.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e © BOA Editions, Ltd 2000 \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Available editions:\u003cbr\u003e --------------------------------------------------------------------------------\u003cbr\u003e Cloth ISBN: 1-880238-96-9\u003cbr\u003e Price: $25.00 \u003cbr\u003e Publishing Date: December 2000\u003cbr\u003e Paperback ISBN: 1-880238-95-5\u003cbr\u003e Price: $15.95\u003cbr\u003e Publishing Date: December 2000\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":null,"offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":9802326917,"sku":"1880238955","price":15.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Cloth","offer_id":8418777925,"sku":"1-880238-96-9","price":25.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0982\/0178\/products\/PARTHENOPI.jpg?v=1527683310"},{"product_id":"darling-vulgarity","title":"Darling Vulgarity","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFinalist, the 2006 Los Angeles Times Book Prize in the Poetry Category\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDarling Vulgarity\u003c\/em\u003e showcases Michael Waters' long-standing aesthetic talent - the vivid and sensual poem. Like Whitman, Waters challenges us to embrace humanity's imperfections while, at the same time, urging us toward new spiritual realities. Riding the confluence of idea and metaphor, these poems maintain their psychological intensity as they evoke sharp memories and the dynamics of emotional aftermath. Floyd Collins writes in \u003cem\u003eThe Gettysburg Review\u003c\/em\u003e, \"[Waters'] language is uncompromisingly sensual. Few poets of his generation pursue with such unstinting ardor a conflation of narrative and lyric techniques.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch5\u003eSigned copies available in limited quantities\u003c\/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBalthus \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen the angel arrived, bare-breasted, androgynous,\u003cbr\u003eits lower half sheathed in tulle \u003cbr\u003ebluer than the plums in ceramic bowls propped on stools, \u003cbr\u003ethe vetch in the studio revived; colors assumed blunt authority;\u003cbr\u003eeven yellow became heavy. Bells\u003cbr\u003etolled from tinny speakers: Mozart striking precise notes\u003cbr\u003ewith an almost disarming\u003cbr\u003esimplicity, their grace and gravity suggesting\u003cbr\u003ethe long marriage of pleasure \u003cbr\u003eand sorrow. \u003cem\u003eCosi fan tutte\u003c\/em\u003e. I named the angel \u003cbr\u003eKatia, thus assigning\u003cbr\u003egender. Now each brushstroke resonates with tumescence. \u003cbr\u003eBlack mirror, red table, moth, \u003cbr\u003ewhite skirt. \u003cem\u003eNude in Front of a Mantel\u003c\/em\u003e. \u003cem\u003eGirl on Her Knees\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003cbr\u003eSprawled on a chair, Katia \u003cbr\u003epretends to read a volume of sonnets by Rilke.\u003cbr\u003eI pencil in my journal: \u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eTo assume God's face, to ponder what He incarnates:\u003cbr\u003elandscape, young girls' flesh, newly \u003cbr\u003eripe spring fruits, trees full of sap, the sweetness of sleeping \u003cbr\u003echildren\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003cem\u003e I know that this work--\u003cbr\u003ea painter's required labor-- always means redemption\u003c\/em\u003e. \u003cbr\u003eWhen I look up, the angel \u003cbr\u003ehas fallen asleep, but the plums, those black plums bursting\u003cbr\u003eflecked skins, have been devoured.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePrice: $15.50 \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003e© BOA Editions, Ltd 2006\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BOA Editions, Ltd.","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":8419542341,"sku":"978-1-929918-85-0-1","price":15.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Paperback (Signed)","offer_id":12462872789073,"sku":"978-1-929918-85-0-2","price":25.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0982\/0178\/products\/DARLING_VULGARITY.jpg?v=1527683206"},{"product_id":"not-just-any-death","title":"Not Just Any Death","description":"\u003ch4\u003eHardcover, paperback, and signed hardcover copies available in limited quantities\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis is a first edition, first printing. Book Condition: Fine. This copy has been archived at BOA Editions, Ltd., since its publication. Unread. Ideal collector's copy. Actual cover design may vary.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e© BOA Editions, Ltd. 1979. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":null,"offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":9802323397,"sku":"9780918526243","price":20.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Cloth","offer_id":8419820357,"sku":"9780918526236","price":30.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Cloth (Signed)","offer_id":38543644745,"sku":"9780918526236","price":100.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0982\/0178\/products\/file_185.jpeg?v=1527683308"},{"product_id":"gospel-night","title":"Gospel Night","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan _fck_bookmark=\"1\" style=\"display: none;\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan _fck_bookmark=\"1\" style=\"display: none;\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: 9pt;\"\u003e\u003cspan color=\"#000000\" style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003eIn a poetry world filled with structurally-experimental and opaque writing, Michael Waters’s voice is increasingly unique. He writes in a straight-forward, lyrically beautiful style while delving into risqué subject matter, particularly regarding sex. In \u003cem\u003eGospel Night\u003c\/em\u003e, his 10th poetry collection, Waters tackles the dual (and dueling) natures of our humanity: sin and transgression; isolation and atrocity; love and darkness; and the desire for a language that can illuminate such ordinary yet disturbing spaces. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: 9pt;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e The Bells \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: 9pt;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSanctuary Basilica \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: 9pt;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e Malta \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: 9pt;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePale novitiates flocked the bell tower \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: 9pt;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTo shadow my wife one rooftop below. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: 9pt;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOiled, asleep, she remained unaware \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: 9pt;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOf cassock-clad boys pivoting the ledge \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: 9pt;\"\u003e\u003cspan color=\"#000000\" style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003eUntil the priest appeared to knell their shame \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: 9pt;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe precise moment—punctual sinner— \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: 9pt;\"\u003e\u003cspan color=\"#000000\" style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003eI bumped open the rooftop door, bearing \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: 9pt;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIn each fist a flute, orange fizz daubing \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: 9pt;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe blistered tar, the riotous mimosas \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: 9pt;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTwo more slender flames expanding the near \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: 9pt;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSuburbs of hell where she sprawled, naked, stunned \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: 9pt;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSpeechless on gaudy towels, below breathless \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: 9pt;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBoys, riding the pitch, not so far from God. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BOA Editions, Ltd.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":8420136645,"sku":"9781934414538","price":16.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0982\/0178\/products\/GOSPEL_NIGHT.jpg?v=1527683268"},{"product_id":"celestial-joyride","title":"Celestial Joyride","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn these poems of taut clarity, craft, and texture, Michael Waters continues his bold exploration of sensual pleasure and moral transgression as means of affirming spiritual faith. Just as a joyride suggests recklessness and exhilaration, so \u003cem\u003eCelestial Joyride\u003c\/em\u003e is an energized journey marked by spiritual recklessness in the face of perpetual mortality. Compelling, musical narratives offer rich meaning and vivid consequence.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e “Dominoes\u003cspan\u003e”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eWe set them up to flip them down, made them\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e  Fall with a flapping sound—whirr of an ace\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e     Slapped by circling spokes as the boy biked by,\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e        Or the wound-up skirr of the hummingbird\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e     Jazzing like fire above honeysuckle.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e   It’s the long labor for such brief reward\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eThat puzzles, though we arranged the thousand\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e   Black caskets heliocentrically\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e      Until forefinger and thumb, pincer-like,\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e        Locked up, mini-muscles cramped in a row,\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e      Domino domino domino, so\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e   Begged to be crooked, dumb flexing Arnolds.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e Clack.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eI knelt with my father to watch death flow.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePraise for \u003cem\u003eCelestial Joyride\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“\u003c\/span\u003eIt is difficult to imagine poetry could be more finely crafted and compelling than the work of Michael Waters, who has been quietly writing some of the best poetry in the United States for the past three decades.\u003cspan\u003e”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e—Stephan Delbos, \u003cem\u003ePrague Post\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“\u003c\/span\u003eIn lines that are often metrically formal—the decasyllabic line appears in many of [his poems]—there is often a quite wild range of emotion, from the overtly sexual to the politically conscious, the plaintively domestic to the brashly cosmopolitan. This is highly energized verse.\u003cspan\u003e”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e—Michael Broek, \u003cem\u003ePoetry International\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“\u003c\/span\u003eWaters seeks to capture the different kinds of negative space which interpenetrate American public life, history, and even the most intimate of moments \u003cspan\u003e‘\u003c\/span\u003ebetween two bodies’—what he calls \u003cspan\u003e‘\u003c\/span\u003ethe loneliness of two people \/ together.\u003cspan\u003e’\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e—Jonathan Taylor, \u003cem\u003eTimes Literary Supplement\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“\u003c\/span\u003eA significant American voice… testifies eloquently to the persistence of the lyric in a time and history that would seek to obliterate it.\u003cspan\u003e”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e—John Mann, \u003cem\u003eWorld Literature Today\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“\u003c\/span\u003eWaters excels at stark-eyed, honest elegies… all rendered in the strong free verse that is [his] signature. He is a poet of detail, but also one of directness, pursuing strong feeling wherever it dives or climbs.\u003cspan\u003e”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e—\u003cem\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“\u003c\/span\u003eWaters seeks and appropriates a rich, malleable language that allows him to express the subtleties of human emotion and the realities of the human condition… Michael Waters is perhaps the best poet of his generation.\u003cspan\u003e”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e—Floyd Collins, \u003cem\u003eGettysburg Review\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e© BOA Editions, Ltd. 2016\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #696969;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BOA Editions, Ltd.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":8420426693,"sku":"9781942683063","price":16.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0982\/0178\/products\/CelestialJoyride_FinalFront_9bbc54b9-4159-46a6-a08c-8a4d225af6a2.jpg?v=1527683196"},{"product_id":"caw","title":"Caw","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIn passionate poems about sin, obsession, and mortality—an artist’s infatuation with a doll, an interspecies relationship, an ex-lover whose presence lingers in recipes, ecclesiastical birds, and a sex toy holding a loved one’s ashes—Waters delivers impeccably crafted narratives infused with his signature lyrical gestures.\u003c\/strong\u003e At the book’s core is a sequence of twenty-five poems on aging, dementia, and caregiving, chiseled phrase by phrase toward unflinching and memorable closure. \u003ci\u003eCaw\u003c\/i\u003e is a brilliant, intimate and moving addition to Waters’s body of work and may be his most powerful collection yet.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003ePraise for Michael Waters\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“He tempers in his latest collection a delight in wit and wordplay with a rigorous prosodic training honed and refined throughout a long and distinguished career… A voluptuary of style… Michael Waters is the ablest poet of an able generation.” \u003cb\u003e—Floyd Collins, \u003ci\u003eThe Gettysburg Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“\u003ci\u003eThe Dean of Discipline\u003c\/i\u003e’s absorbing subject is the making of art, showing and teaching us a poet’s meticulous and raucous devotion so that we gain a sound and sense of how poems are, in fact, created… Waters’s work assumes a divine erotic presence even in his most harrowing poems.” \u003cb\u003e—Judith Vollmer, \u003ci\u003eThe Georgia Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“The consistency of his work over the past thirty years has contributed greatly to American letters, and his unique voice within the poetry world illuminates, with precision and clarity, the intricate nature of the human condition.” \u003cstrong\u003e—Esteban Rodríguez, \u003ci\u003eAmerican Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Waters stands among the best American poets writing today.” \u003cb\u003e—Roberto Bonazzi, \u003ci\u003eSan Antonio Express-News\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eOne Caw\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAgainst the snow they’re silhouettes,\u003cbr\u003eThese crows, how many hundreds\u003cbr\u003eBurdening branches, these\u003cbr\u003eBlunt-scissors-\u0026amp;-construction-paper\u003cbr\u003eKindergarten cut-outs, these\u003cbr\u003eRorschach blots, sloppy calligraphy,\u003cbr\u003eOr jagged wounds, the sky torn,\u003cbr\u003eBut not political, if that’s possible.\u003cbr\u003eThen a blast scatters the murder\u003cbr\u003e\u0026amp; any direction they flee is wrong.\u003cbr\u003eSmoke on the hillside. The soldier\u003cbr\u003eStares, rifle tensed on one shoulder.\u003cbr\u003eHe’s looking me over, wondering who I am.\u003cbr\u003eI’ve seen this scene in films, Russian novels,\u003cbr\u003eOld Master oils, Pathé newsreels.\u003cbr\u003eOr on CNN—smoke in the city,\u003cbr\u003eSchoolchildren scattered among rubble—\u003cbr\u003eIf that’s possible—or blue sky, shade trees,\u003cbr\u003eSuburban sprawl. The police car stops.\u003cbr\u003eThe boy stares. How many hundreds.\u003cbr\u003eOne caw, then silence.\u003cbr\u003eSomething horrible about to happen.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BOA Editions, Ltd.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":32082494488657,"sku":"9781950774128","price":17.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0982\/0178\/products\/Caw_FC.jpg?v=1587558090"},{"product_id":"pagan-sky-new-amp-selected-poems-2000-2025","title":"Pagan Sky: New and Selected Poems 2000–2025","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eIn these richly textured poems—crafted with taut clarity and consummate skill—Waters confronts the immutable presence of death by reveling in sensual pleasure and spiritual daring.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eEach poem unfolds as a compelling narrative, sharpened by precise diction and lifted by lyrical grace and musical phrasing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWaters’ range is expansive, moving across geographies from Brooklyn to Romania, from the Dominican Republic to Greece, all while engaging in urgent political realities such as AIDS, Black Lives Matter, and authoritarian rule. He also draws on a vibrant cultural lineage that includes Caravaggio, Gwendolyn Brooks, Cesare Pavese, and Balthus.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003ePagan Sky: New and Selected Poems 2000–2025\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003epresents a body of work that affirms Michael Waters as a singular and enduring voice in American poetry and as an artist whose poems continue to deepen, resonate, and enrich his remarkable literary legacy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;\"\u003ePraise for Michael Waters\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“It is difficult to imagine poetry could be more finely crafted and compelling than the work of Michael Waters, who has been quietly writing some of the best poetry in the United States for the past three decades.”\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Stephan Delbos,\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Prague Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“The consistency of his work over the past thirty years has contributed greatly to American letters, and his unique voice within the poetry world illuminates, with precision and clarity, the intricate nature of the human condition.”\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Esteban Rodriguez,\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eAmerican Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“One who has written fourteen well-regarded books of poetry across nearly fifty years is still capable of producing work that ranks among his best… Michael Waters is a patient craftsman.”\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Tony Leuzzi,\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eNorth American Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Michael Waters is perhaps the best poet of his generation.”\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Floyd Collins,\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Gettysburg Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Waters stands among the best American poets writing today.”\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Roberto Bonazzi,\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eSan Antonio Express-News\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Waters’s work assumes a divine erotic presence even in his most harrowing poems.”\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Judith Vollmer,\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Georgia Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4 style=\"margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eOtherworld\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eOur dozen or so ringed the holy well,\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eSome stooping low to cup in palms\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eCold water seeping through stone.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eThis being Ireland, two swans\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eFrothed the estuary. Someone twined\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eHer mauve scrunchie onto a branch\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eAmong pandemic masks \u0026amp; strips of scarves,\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eRagged decoration in raucous devotion.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eLapsed, I stood my ground among believers\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eWho gathered stones for cairns, who\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eBlessed themselves more than once\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eWith soppy fingers as the whole country\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eGreened around us \u0026amp; lines of poems\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eBy Kavanaugh, Heaney, \u0026amp; Boland\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eWound through sky briefly bluing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eI listened closely to the wind-thrust words.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eWe tromped through mud back to the bus\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eIdling in mist of its own making,\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eThen raced the weak light west as rain\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eShawled our surfacing reflections.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eOur faces wept beside us as we slept.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Boa Editions","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":48766241571045,"sku":null,"price":19.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Paperback (Signed)","offer_id":48766241603813,"sku":null,"price":30.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":48766241636581,"sku":null,"price":30.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0982\/0178\/files\/PaganSky_CVR_RGB_SM.jpg?v=1775758093"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0982\/0178\/collections\/110.1444070641.jpeg?v=1449014811","url":"https:\/\/shop.boaeditions.org\/collections\/michael-waters.oembed","provider":"Boa Editions","version":"1.0","type":"link"}