Invitation to read my review of Randal Burd's chapbook, Memoirs of a Witness Tree

I identify as a formalist poet, though only about a third of the poetry I write is formal. I also enjoy reading formal poetry, and I recently reviewed Randal Burd's Memoirs of a Witness Tree, (Kelsay Books, 2020) a chapbook collection of formal rhyming poetry, for The Poetry Cafe.

Burd, who edits Sparks of Calliope, has written "a series of poetic meditations on topics ranging from parenthood to the Civil War to the foibles of human nature. They are also about longing—for the simplicity of childhood, for lost landscapes, and for ideals that, in some cases, remain humanity’s unmet dreams."

The chapbook contains a variety of forms, including
the rare (though not in my own work) Australian sonnet. Those who are familiar with formal poetry will enjoy this variety, and those who are new to formal poetry will be able to discover how language is transformed when rhyme is blended with meter.

My review is available to read here.