The Best of the Best American Poetry 1988-1997, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman

David Lehman

David Lehman is a poet and the series editor for The Best American Poetry series. He teaches at The New School in New York City.-Career:...

 and by guest editor Harold Bloom

Harold Bloom

Harold Bloom is an American writer and literary critic, and is Sterling Professor of Humanities at Yale University. He is known for his defense of 19th-century Romantic poets, his unique and controversial theories of poetic influence, and his prodigious literary output, particularly for a literary...

, who chose the poems.

Bloom selected poems from every entry in the series through 1997, with the exception of the 1996 volume, edited by Adrienne Rich. Bloom criticized the 1996 issue in his introductory essay, claiming that Rich had selected poems based on the "race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic origin, and political purpose of the would-be poet", rather than on aesthetic merit . Lehman wrote in his own introductory essay that he believed a number of Rich's selections would have met Bloom's criteria, and that he disagreed with Bloom's decision to exclude any poems from Rich's editorship .

Critical reaction

The Boston Review

Boston Review

Boston Review is a bimonthly American political and literary magazine. The magazine covers, specifically, political debates, literature, and poetry...

 printed Bloom's preface and in the following issue included responses from, among others, Mark Doty

Mark Doty

Mark Doty is an American poet and memoirist.-Biography:He was born in Maryville, Tennessee, earned his Bachelor of Arts from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, and received his Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from Goddard College in Vermont.In 1989, his partner Wally Roberts tested...

, Ann Lauterbach

Ann Lauterbach

Ann Lauterbach is an American poet, essayist, and professor. Her most recent poetry collection is Or to Begin Again , a 2009 National Book Award finalist. Her other honors include fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the Ingram Merrill Foundation, the John D. and Catherine C. MacArthur...

, Rita Dove

Rita Dove

Rita Frances Dove is an American poet and author. From 1993-1995 she served as Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress, a position now popularly known as "U.S. Poet Laureate"...

, J. D. McClatchy, Donald Revell

Donald Revell

Donald Revell is an American poet, essayist, translator and professor.Revell has won numerous honors and awards for his work, beginning with his first book, From the Abandoned Cities, which was a National Poetry Series winner. More recently, he won the 2004 Lenore Marshall Award and is a two-time...

, Heather McHugh

Heather McHugh

-Life:Heather McHugh, a poet, translator, and educator, was born in San Diego, California, to Canadian parents, John Laurence, a marine biologist, and Eileen Francesca . They raised McHugh in Gloucester Point, Virginia. There, her father directed the marine biological laboratory on the York River...

, Thylias Moss

Thylias Moss

Thylias Moss is an American poet, writer, experimental filmmaker, sound artist and playwright, of African American, Indian, and European heritage, who has published a number of poetry collections, children’s books, essays, and multimedia work she calls poams, products of acts of making, related to...

, Reginald Shepherd

Reginald Shepherd

Reginald Shepherd was an American poet, born in New York City and raised in the Bronx. He died of cancer in Penascola, Florida, in 2008.-Biography:...

, Carol Muske, Sven Birkerts

Sven Birkerts

Sven Birkerts is an American essayist and literary critic of Latvian ancestry. He is best known for his book The Gutenberg Elegies, which posits a decline in reading due to the overwhelming advances of the Internet and other technologies of the "electronic culture."Birkerts was born in Pontiac,...

, and Marjorie Perloff

Marjorie Perloff

Marjorie Perloff is an Austrian-born U.S. poetry critic.Perloff was born Gabriele Mintz into a secularized Jewish family in Vienna. Faced with Nazi terror, her family emigrated in 1938 when she was six-and-a-half, going first to Zürich and then to the United States, settling in Riverdale, New York...

.

Of "Best of" anthologies generally, JoAnn Gutin wrote in Salon.com, "Those who pride themselves on the catholicity or adventurousness of their reading tastes may well take a dim view of the 'Best of' boom. I can envision intellectuals saying, with a certain hauteur, 'I would never allow someone to choose what I read.' These are probably the same people who ask for menu substitutions in nice restaurants...or who walk around looking like the wrath of God under the impression that they have a 'personal style.' My position is, if it's good enough for John Updike or Joyce Carol Oates or Harold Bloom, it's good enough for me" http://archive.salon.com/books/feature/2000/12/06/bestof/index.html.

Poets and poems included

Poet	Poem	Edition year in which poem previously appeared
Jonathan Aaron Jonathan Aaron -Life:He graduated from the University of Chicago and Yale University Ph.D.His work has been published in The Paris Review, Ploughshares, The New Yorker, The New York Review of Books, The London Review of books, The Boston Globe , and The Times Literary Supplement.Aaron was born and raised in...	"Dance Mania"	1992 The Best American Poetry 1992 The Best American Poetry 1992, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor Charles Simic....
A. R. Ammons	"Anxiety's Prosody "	1989 The Best American Poetry 1989 The Best American Poetry 1989, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor Donald Hall.One of the poems Hall selected for this edition was written by his wife, Jane Kenyon...
A. R. Ammons	"Garbage"	1993 The Best American Poetry 1993 The Best American Poetry 1993, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor Louise Glück.-Poets and poems included:-External links:...
A. R. Ammons	from "Strip""	1997 The Best American Poetry 1997 The Best American Poetry 1997, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor James Tate.-Poets and poems included:-External links:* , with links to each publication where the poems originally appeared...
John Ashbery John Ashbery John Lawrence Ashbery is an American poet. He has published more than twenty volumes of poetry and won nearly every major American award for poetry, including a Pulitzer Prize in 1976 for his collection Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror. But Ashbery's work still proves controversial...	"Baked Alaska"	1993 The Best American Poetry 1993 The Best American Poetry 1993, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor Louise Glück.-Poets and poems included:-External links:...
John Ashbery John Ashbery John Lawrence Ashbery is an American poet. He has published more than twenty volumes of poetry and won nearly every major American award for poetry, including a Pulitzer Prize in 1976 for his collection Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror. But Ashbery's work still proves controversial...	"Myrtle"	1994 The Best American Poetry 1994 The Best American Poetry 1994, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor A. R. Ammons.-Poets and poems included:-External links:* , with links to each publication where the poems originally appeared...
John Ashbery John Ashbery John Lawrence Ashbery is an American poet. He has published more than twenty volumes of poetry and won nearly every major American award for poetry, including a Pulitzer Prize in 1976 for his collection Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror. But Ashbery's work still proves controversial...	"The Problem of Anxiety"	1997 The Best American Poetry 1997 The Best American Poetry 1997, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor James Tate.-Poets and poems included:-External links:* , with links to each publication where the poems originally appeared...
Elizabeth Bishop Elizabeth Bishop Elizabeth Bishop was an American poet and short-story writer. She was the Poet Laureate of the United States from 1949 to 1950, a Pulitzer Prize winner in 1956 and a National Book Award Winner for Poetry in 1970. Elizabeth Bishop House is an artists' retreat in Great Village, Nova Scotia...	"It is Marvellous . . ."	1989 The Best American Poetry 1989 The Best American Poetry 1989, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor Donald Hall.One of the poems Hall selected for this edition was written by his wife, Jane Kenyon...
George Bradley George Bradley (poet) George Bradley is an American poet, editor, and fiction writer whose work is characterized by formal structure, humor, and satirical narrative.-Life:He attended the Hill School, Yale University, and the University of Virginia....	"The Fire Fetched Down"	1994 The Best American Poetry 1994 The Best American Poetry 1994, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor A. R. Ammons.-Poets and poems included:-External links:* , with links to each publication where the poems originally appeared...
Lucie Brock-Broido Lucie Brock-Broido Lucie Brock-Broido is the author of three collections of poetry. She has received many honors, including the Witter-Bynner prize of Poetry from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the Harvard Phi Beta Kappa Teaching Award, the Harvard-Danforth Award for Distinction in Teaching, the Jerome J...	"Inevitably, She Declined"	1992 The Best American Poetry 1992 The Best American Poetry 1992, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor Charles Simic....
Anne Carson Anne Carson Anne Carson is a Canadian poet, essayist, translator and professor of Classics. Carson lived in Montreal for several years and taught at McGill University, the University of Michigan, and at Princeton University from 1980-1987....	"The Life of Towns"	1990 The Best American Poetry 1990 The Best American Poetry 1990, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor Jorie Graham. The book contains seventy-five poems with a range of poet-authors from a college freshman to the 1990 United States Poet Laureate...
Amy Clampitt Amy Clampitt -Life:Amy Clampitt was born on June 15, 1920 of Quaker parents, and brought up in New Providence, Iowa. In the American Academy of Arts and Letters and at nearby Grinnell College she began a study of English literature that eventually led her to poetry. She graduated from Grinnell College, and from...	"My Cousin Muriel"	1990 The Best American Poetry 1990 The Best American Poetry 1990, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor Jorie Graham. The book contains seventy-five poems with a range of poet-authors from a college freshman to the 1990 United States Poet Laureate...
Douglas Crase Douglas Crase Douglas Crase is an American poet, essayist and critic. He was born in 1944 in Battle Creek, Michigan. His poetry collection, The Revisionist, was nominated for a National Book Critics Circle Award and an American Book Award. He is a former MacArthur Fellow. Crase lives in New York City and...	"True Solar Holiday"	1989 The Best American Poetry 1989 The Best American Poetry 1989, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor Donald Hall.One of the poems Hall selected for this edition was written by his wife, Jane Kenyon...
Carolyn Creedon Carolyn Creedon -Life:She left college and worked as a waitress in San Francisco.She graduated from Smith College, and the University of Virginia with an M.F.A.Her work has appeared in The American Poetry Review, The Massachusetts Review, Yale Review....	"litany"	1993 The Best American Poetry 1993 The Best American Poetry 1993, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor Louise Glück.-Poets and poems included:-External links:...
Thomas M. Disch Thomas M. Disch Thomas Michael Disch was an American science fiction author and poet. He won the Hugo Award for Best Related Book – previously called "Best Non-Fiction Book" – in 1999, and he had two other Hugo nominations and nine Nebula Award nominations to his credit, plus one win of the John W...	"The Cardinal Detoxes: A Play in One Act"	1994 The Best American Poetry 1994 The Best American Poetry 1994, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor A. R. Ammons.-Poets and poems included:-External links:* , with links to each publication where the poems originally appeared...
Irving Feldman Irving Feldman Irving Feldman Irving Feldman Irving Feldman (born on 22 September 1928 in Brooklyn, New York is an American poet and professor of English.-Academic career:Born and raised in Coney Island, Brooklyn, Feldman worked as a merchant seaman, farm hand, and factory worker through his university education...	"Terminal Laughs"	1995 The Best American Poetry 1995 The Best American Poetry 1995, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor Richard Howard....
Aaron Fogel Aaron Fogel -Life:He was raised in New York City.He graduated from Columbia University, Cambridge University, and Columbia University, with a Ph.D.,Fogel has been on the faculty at Boston University since 1978....	"The Printers Error"	1995 The Best American Poetry 1995 The Best American Poetry 1995, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor Richard Howard....
Alice Fulton Alice Fulton Alice Fulton is an American author of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction.- Biography :Fulton was born and raised in Troy, New York, the youngest of three daughters. Her father was the proprietor of the historic Phoenix Hotel, and her mother was a visiting nurse. She began writing poetry in high school...	"Powers of Congress"	1989 The Best American Poetry 1989 The Best American Poetry 1989, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor Donald Hall.One of the poems Hall selected for this edition was written by his wife, Jane Kenyon...
Allen Ginsberg Allen Ginsberg Irwin Allen Ginsberg was an American poet and one of the leading figures of the Beat Generation in the 1950s. He vigorously opposed militarism, materialism and sexual repression...	"Salutations to Fernando Pessoa"	1995 The Best American Poetry 1995 The Best American Poetry 1995, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor Richard Howard....
Louise Glück Louise Glück Louise Elisabeth Glück is an American poet of Hungarian Jewish heritage. She was appointed Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 2003, after serving as a Special Bicentennial Consultant three years prior in 2000....	"Celestial Music"	1991 The Best American Poetry 1991 The Best American Poetry 1991, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor Mark Strand.-Poets and poems included:-Most-represented publications in this volume:...
Louise Glück Louise Glück Louise Elisabeth Glück is an American poet of Hungarian Jewish heritage. She was appointed Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 2003, after serving as a Special Bicentennial Consultant three years prior in 2000....	"Vespers"	1992 The Best American Poetry 1992 The Best American Poetry 1992, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor Charles Simic....
Jorie Graham Jorie Graham Jorie Graham is an American poet. The U.S. Poetry Foundation suggests "She is perhaps the most celebrated poet of the American post-war generation". She replaced poet Seamus Heaney as Boylston Professor at Harvard, becoming the first woman to be appointed to this position...	"Manifest Destiny"	1992 The Best American Poetry 1992 The Best American Poetry 1992, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor Charles Simic....
Jorie Graham Jorie Graham Jorie Graham is an American poet. The U.S. Poetry Foundation suggests "She is perhaps the most celebrated poet of the American post-war generation". She replaced poet Seamus Heaney as Boylston Professor at Harvard, becoming the first woman to be appointed to this position...	"What the Instant Contains"	1993 The Best American Poetry 1993 The Best American Poetry 1993, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor Louise Glück.-Poets and poems included:-External links:...
Allen Grossman Allen Grossman Allen Grossman is a noted American poet, critic and professor.-Biography:Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1932, Grossman was educated at Harvard University, graduating with an MA in 1956 after several interruptions. He went on to receive a PhD from Brandeis University in 1960, where he remained a...	"The Piano Player Explains Himself"	1988 The Best American Poetry 1988 The Best American Poetry 1988, the first volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor John Ashbery, who chose one of his own poems among the group of 75.-Lehman's forward:...
Donald Hall Donald Hall Donald Hall is an American poet. He was appointed Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 2006.-Personal life:...	"Prophecy"	1988 The Best American Poetry 1988 The Best American Poetry 1988, the first volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor John Ashbery, who chose one of his own poems among the group of 75.-Lehman's forward:...
Donald Hall Donald Hall Donald Hall is an American poet. He was appointed Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 2006.-Personal life:...	"The Porcelain Couple"	1997 The Best American Poetry 1997 The Best American Poetry 1997, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor James Tate.-Poets and poems included:-External links:* , with links to each publication where the poems originally appeared...
Vicki Hearne Vicki Hearne Vicki Hearne was an American author, philosopher, poet, animal trainer, and scholar of literary criticism and linguistics....	"St. Luke Painting the Virgin"	1992 The Best American Poetry 1992 The Best American Poetry 1992, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor Charles Simic....
Anthony Hecht Anthony Hecht Anthony Evan Hecht was an American poet. His work combined a deep interest in form with a passionate desire to confront the horrors of 20th century history, with the Second World War, in which he fought, and the Holocaust being recurrent themes in his work.-Early years:Hecht was born in New York...	"Prospects"	1995 The Best American Poetry 1995 The Best American Poetry 1995, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor Richard Howard....
Edward Hirsch Edward Hirsch Edward Hirsch is an American poet and critic who wrote a national bestseller about reading poetry. He has published eight books of poems, including The Living Fire: New and Selected Poems , which brings together thirty-five years of work. He is president of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial...	"Man on a Fire Escape"	1992 The Best American Poetry 1992 The Best American Poetry 1992, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor Charles Simic....
John Hollander John Hollander John Hollander is a Jewish-American poet and literary critic. As of 2007, he is Sterling Professor Emeritus of English at Yale University...	"Kinneret"	1989 The Best American Poetry 1989 The Best American Poetry 1989, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor Donald Hall.One of the poems Hall selected for this edition was written by his wife, Jane Kenyon...
John Hollander John Hollander John Hollander is a Jewish-American poet and literary critic. As of 2007, he is Sterling Professor Emeritus of English at Yale University...	"An Old-Fashioned Song"	1990 The Best American Poetry 1990 The Best American Poetry 1990, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor Jorie Graham. The book contains seventy-five poems with a range of poet-authors from a college freshman to the 1990 United States Poet Laureate...
John Hollander John Hollander John Hollander is a Jewish-American poet and literary critic. As of 2007, he is Sterling Professor Emeritus of English at Yale University...	"The See-Saw"	1991 The Best American Poetry 1991 The Best American Poetry 1991, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor Mark Strand.-Poets and poems included:-Most-represented publications in this volume:...
Richard Howard Richard Howard Richard Howard is an American poet, literary critic, essayist, teacher, and translator. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio and is a graduate of Columbia University, where he studied under Mark Van Doren, and where he now teaches...	"Like Most Revelations"	1992 The Best American Poetry 1992 The Best American Poetry 1992, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor Charles Simic....
Donald Justice Donald Justice Donald Justice was an American poet and teacher of writing. In summing up Justice's career, David Orr has written, "In most ways, Justice was no different from any number of solid, quiet older writers devoted to traditional short poems. But he was different in one important sense: sometimes his...	"Nostalgia of the Lakefronts"	1988 The Best American Poetry 1988 The Best American Poetry 1988, the first volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor John Ashbery, who chose one of his own poems among the group of 75.-Lehman's forward:...
Donald Justice Donald Justice Donald Justice was an American poet and teacher of writing. In summing up Justice's career, David Orr has written, "In most ways, Justice was no different from any number of solid, quiet older writers devoted to traditional short poems. But he was different in one important sense: sometimes his...	"Invitation to a Ghost"	1993 The Best American Poetry 1993 The Best American Poetry 1993, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor Louise Glück.-Poets and poems included:-External links:...
Brigit Pegeen Kelly Brigit Pegeen Kelly Brigit Pegeen Kelly is an award-winning American poet.-Life:She is married to , a poet and fiction writer.She taught at the University of California at Irvine, Purdue University, and Warren Wilson College....	"The White Pilgrim: Old Christian Cemetery"	1993 The Best American Poetry 1993 The Best American Poetry 1993, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor Louise Glück.-Poets and poems included:-External links:...
Jane Kenyon Jane Kenyon Jane Kenyon was an American poet and translator. Her work is often characterized as simple, spare, and emotionally resonant.-Life:...	"Three Songs at the End of the Summer"	1989 The Best American Poetry 1989 The Best American Poetry 1989, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor Donald Hall.One of the poems Hall selected for this edition was written by his wife, Jane Kenyon...
Galway Kinnell Galway Kinnell Galway Kinnell is an American poet. He was Poet Laureate of Vermont from 1989 to 1993. An admitted follower of Walt Whitman, Kinnell rejects the idea of seeking fulfillment by escaping into the imaginary world. His best-loved and most anthologized poems are "St...	"When One Has Lived a Long Time Alone"	1990 The Best American Poetry 1990 The Best American Poetry 1990, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor Jorie Graham. The book contains seventy-five poems with a range of poet-authors from a college freshman to the 1990 United States Poet Laureate...
Karl Kirchwey Karl Kirchwey Karl Kirchwey is a prize–winning American poet who has lived in both Europe and the United States and whose work is strongly influenced by the Greek and Roman past. He often looks to the classical world for inspiration with themes which have included loss, loneliness, nostalgia and modern...	"Sonogram"	1995 The Best American Poetry 1995 The Best American Poetry 1995, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor Richard Howard....
Kenneth Koch Kenneth Koch Kenneth Koch was an American poet, playwright, and professor, active from the 1950s until his death at age 77...	"One Train May Hide Another"	1994 The Best American Poetry 1994 The Best American Poetry 1994, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor A. R. Ammons.-Poets and poems included:-External links:* , with links to each publication where the poems originally appeared...
Yusef Komunyakaa Yusef Komunyakaa Yusef Komunyakaa is an American poet who currently teaches at New York University and is a member of the Fellowship of Southern Writers. Komunyakaa is a recipient of the 1994 Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award, for Neon Vernacular and the 1994 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. He also received the Ruth Lilly...	"Facing It"	1990 The Best American Poetry 1990 The Best American Poetry 1990, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor Jorie Graham. The book contains seventy-five poems with a range of poet-authors from a college freshman to the 1990 United States Poet Laureate...
Ann Lauterbach Ann Lauterbach Ann Lauterbach is an American poet, essayist, and professor. Her most recent poetry collection is Or to Begin Again , a 2009 National Book Award finalist. Her other honors include fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the Ingram Merrill Foundation, the John D. and Catherine C. MacArthur...	"Psyches Dream"	1988 The Best American Poetry 1988 The Best American Poetry 1988, the first volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor John Ashbery, who chose one of his own poems among the group of 75.-Lehman's forward:...
Philip Levine Philip Levine (poet) Philip Levine is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American poet best known for his poems about working-class Detroit. He taught for over thirty years at the English Department of California State University, Fresno and held teaching positions at other universities as well...	"Scouting"	1990 The Best American Poetry 1990 The Best American Poetry 1990, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor Jorie Graham. The book contains seventy-five poems with a range of poet-authors from a college freshman to the 1990 United States Poet Laureate...
Harry Matthews	"Histoire"	1988 The Best American Poetry 1988 The Best American Poetry 1988, the first volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor John Ashbery, who chose one of his own poems among the group of 75.-Lehman's forward:...
J. D. McClatchy	"An Essay on Friendship"	1991 The Best American Poetry 1991 The Best American Poetry 1991, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor Mark Strand.-Poets and poems included:-Most-represented publications in this volume:...
James Merrill James Merrill James Ingram Merrill was an American poet whose awards include the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for Divine Comedies...	"Family Week at Oracle Ranch"	1994 The Best American Poetry 1994 The Best American Poetry 1994, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor A. R. Ammons.-Poets and poems included:-External links:* , with links to each publication where the poems originally appeared...
James Merrill James Merrill James Ingram Merrill was an American poet whose awards include the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for Divine Comedies...	"The 'Ring' Cycle"	1991 The Best American Poetry 1991 The Best American Poetry 1991, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor Mark Strand.-Poets and poems included:-Most-represented publications in this volume:...
James Merrill James Merrill James Ingram Merrill was an American poet whose awards include the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for Divine Comedies...	"A Room at the Heart of Things"	1989 The Best American Poetry 1989 The Best American Poetry 1989, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor Donald Hall.One of the poems Hall selected for this edition was written by his wife, Jane Kenyon...
W.S. Merwin	"The Stranger"	1993 The Best American Poetry 1993 The Best American Poetry 1993, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor Louise Glück.-Poets and poems included:-External links:...
Susan Mitchell Susan Mitchell Susan Mitchell is an American poet, essayist and translator who wrote the poetry collections Rapture and Erotikon.-Life:...	"Havana Birth"	1990 The Best American Poetry 1990 The Best American Poetry 1990, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor Jorie Graham. The book contains seventy-five poems with a range of poet-authors from a college freshman to the 1990 United States Poet Laureate...
A. F. Moritz A. F. Moritz Albert Frank Moritz is a poet, teacher, and scholar.Born in Niles, Ohio, Moritz was educated at Marquette University. Since 1975, he has made his home in Toronto, Ontario where he has worked variously as an advertising copywriter and executive, editor, publisher, and university professor...	"Protracted Episode"	1991 The Best American Poetry 1991 The Best American Poetry 1991, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor Mark Strand.-Poets and poems included:-Most-represented publications in this volume:...
Thylias Moss Thylias Moss Thylias Moss is an American poet, writer, experimental filmmaker, sound artist and playwright, of African American, Indian, and European heritage, who has published a number of poetry collections, children’s books, essays, and multimedia work she calls poams, products of acts of making, related to...	"The Warmth of Hot Chocolate"	1989 The Best American Poetry 1989 The Best American Poetry 1989, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor Donald Hall.One of the poems Hall selected for this edition was written by his wife, Jane Kenyon...
Brighde Mullins Brighde Mullins -Life:She graduated from the Yale School of Drama and the Iowa Writers' Workshop, with MFA's.She taught at San Francisco State University, Brown University, Harvard University, CalArts, and currently teaches at University of Southern California where she is also the director of USC's Master of...	"At the Lakehouse"	1994 The Best American Poetry 1994 The Best American Poetry 1994, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor A. R. Ammons.-Poets and poems included:-External links:* , with links to each publication where the poems originally appeared...
Molly Peacock Molly Peacock Molly Peacock is an American-Canadian poet, essayist and creative nonfiction writer. She is an alumna of Binghamton University.-Career:...	"Have You Ever Faked an Orgasm?"	1995 The Best American Poetry 1995 The Best American Poetry 1995, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor Richard Howard....
Bob Perelman Bob Perelman Bob Perelman is an American poet, critic, editor and teacher. He is often associated with the Language School group of poets. Perelman is Professor of English at the University of Pennsylvania.-Life and work:...	"Movie"	1989 The Best American Poetry 1989 The Best American Poetry 1989, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor Donald Hall.One of the poems Hall selected for this edition was written by his wife, Jane Kenyon...
Carl Phillips Carl Phillips Carl Phillips is an American writer and poet. He is a Professor of English and of African and Afro-American Studies at Washington University in St. Louis....	"A Mathematics of Breathing"	1994 The Best American Poetry 1994 The Best American Poetry 1994, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor A. R. Ammons.-Poets and poems included:-External links:* , with links to each publication where the poems originally appeared...
Kay Ryan Kay Ryan Kay Ryan is an American poet and educator. She has published seven volumes of poetry and an anthology of selected and new poems. Ryan was the sixteenth United States Poet Laureate, from 2008 to 2010...	"Outsider Art"	1995 The Best American Poetry 1995 The Best American Poetry 1995, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor Richard Howard....
Grace Schulman Grace Schulman -Life:She studied at Bard College, and graduated from American University in 1955, and from New York University with a Ph.D.She is Distinguished Professor of English at Baruch College, CUNY...	"The Present Perfect"	1995 The Best American Poetry 1995 The Best American Poetry 1995, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor Richard Howard....
David Shapiro David Shapiro (poet) David Shapiro is an American poet, literary critic, and art historian. He has written some twenty volumes of poetry, literary, and art criticism...	"The Seasons"	1991 The Best American Poetry 1991 The Best American Poetry 1991, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor Mark Strand.-Poets and poems included:-Most-represented publications in this volume:...
Charles Simic Charles Simic Dušan "Charles" Simić is a Serbian-American poet, and was co-Poetry Editor of the Paris Review. He was appointed the fifteenth Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 2007.-Early years:...	"Country Fair"	1991 The Best American Poetry 1991 The Best American Poetry 1991, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor Mark Strand.-Poets and poems included:-Most-represented publications in this volume:...
Charles Simic Charles Simic Dušan "Charles" Simić is a Serbian-American poet, and was co-Poetry Editor of the Paris Review. He was appointed the fifteenth Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 2007.-Early years:...	"The Something"	1997 The Best American Poetry 1997 The Best American Poetry 1997, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor James Tate.-Poets and poems included:-External links:* , with links to each publication where the poems originally appeared...
Gary Snyder Gary Snyder Gary Snyder is an American poet , as well as an essayist, lecturer, and environmental activist . Snyder is a winner of a Pulitzer Prize for Poetry...	"Ripples on the Surface"	1993 The Best American Poetry 1993 The Best American Poetry 1993, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor Louise Glück.-Poets and poems included:-External links:...
Mark Strand Mark Strand Mark Strand is an American poet, essayist, and translator. He was appointed Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 1990. Since 2005, he has been a professor of English at Columbia University.- Biography :...	"Reading in Place"	1989 The Best American Poetry 1989 The Best American Poetry 1989, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor Donald Hall.One of the poems Hall selected for this edition was written by his wife, Jane Kenyon...
Mark Strand Mark Strand Mark Strand is an American poet, essayist, and translator. He was appointed Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 1990. Since 2005, he has been a professor of English at Columbia University.- Biography :...	from "Dark Harbor"	1993 The Best American Poetry 1993 The Best American Poetry 1993, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor Louise Glück.-Poets and poems included:-External links:...
Mark Strand Mark Strand Mark Strand is an American poet, essayist, and translator. He was appointed Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 1990. Since 2005, he has been a professor of English at Columbia University.- Biography :...	"Morning, Noon, and Night"	1997 The Best American Poetry 1997 The Best American Poetry 1997, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor James Tate.-Poets and poems included:-External links:* , with links to each publication where the poems originally appeared...
May Swenson May Swenson Anna Thilda May "May" Swenson was an American poet and playwright...	"Sleeping with Boa"	1994 The Best American Poetry 1994 The Best American Poetry 1994, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor A. R. Ammons.-Poets and poems included:-External links:* , with links to each publication where the poems originally appeared...
Derek Walcott Derek Walcott Derek Alton Walcott, OBE OCC is a Saint Lucian poet, playwright, writer and visual artist who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1992 and the T. S. Eliot Prize in 2011 for White Egrets. His works include the Homeric epic Omeros...	"Omeros"	1991 The Best American Poetry 1991 The Best American Poetry 1991, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor Mark Strand.-Poets and poems included:-Most-represented publications in this volume:...
Rosanna Warren Rosanna Warren Rosanna Phelps Warren is an American poet and scholar.-Biography:Warren is the daughter of novelist, literary critic and Poet Laureate Robert Penn Warren and writer Eleanor Clark. She graduated from Yale University in 1976, with a degree in painting, and then in 1980 received an MA from The...	"The Cormorant"	1990 The Best American Poetry 1990 The Best American Poetry 1990, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor Jorie Graham. The book contains seventy-five poems with a range of poet-authors from a college freshman to the 1990 United States Poet Laureate...
Rosanna Warren Rosanna Warren Rosanna Phelps Warren is an American poet and scholar.-Biography:Warren is the daughter of novelist, literary critic and Poet Laureate Robert Penn Warren and writer Eleanor Clark. She graduated from Yale University in 1976, with a degree in painting, and then in 1980 received an MA from The...	"Diversion"	1997 The Best American Poetry 1997 The Best American Poetry 1997, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor James Tate.-Poets and poems included:-External links:* , with links to each publication where the poems originally appeared...
Susan Wheeler Susan Wheeler Susan Wheeler is an educator and award-winning poet whose poems have frequently appeared in anthologies. She currently teaches creative writing at Princeton University.Her published works include:...	"What Memory Reveals"	1988 The Best American Poetry 1988 The Best American Poetry 1988, the first volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor John Ashbery, who chose one of his own poems among the group of 75.-Lehman's forward:...
Richard Wilbur Richard Wilbur Richard Purdy Wilbur is an American poet and literary translator. He was appointed the second Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 1987, and twice received the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, in 1957 and again in 1989....	"Lying"	1997 The Best American Poetry 1989 The Best American Poetry 1989, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor Donald Hall.One of the poems Hall selected for this edition was written by his wife, Jane Kenyon...
Richard Wilbur Richard Wilbur Richard Purdy Wilbur is an American poet and literary translator. He was appointed the second Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 1987, and twice received the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, in 1957 and again in 1989....	"A Wall in the Woods: Cummington"	1990 The Best American Poetry 1990 The Best American Poetry 1990, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor Jorie Graham. The book contains seventy-five poems with a range of poet-authors from a college freshman to the 1990 United States Poet Laureate...
Charles Wright Charles Wright (poet) Charles Wright is an American poet whose awards include the National Book Award Charles Wright (born August 25, 1935) is an American poet whose awards include the National Book Award Charles Wright (born August 25, 1935) is an American poet whose awards include the National Book Award (19830 for...	"Disjecta Membra"	1997 The Best American Poetry 1997 The Best American Poetry 1997, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor James Tate.-Poets and poems included:-External links:* , with links to each publication where the poems originally appeared...
Jay Wright Jay Wright (poet) Jay Wright is an African-American poet, playwright, and essayist. Born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, he currently lives in Bradford, Vermont. Although his work is not as widely known as other American poets of his generation, it has received considerable critical acclaim...	"Madrid"	1989 The Best American Poetry 1989 The Best American Poetry 1989, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor Donald Hall.One of the poems Hall selected for this edition was written by his wife, Jane Kenyon...
Jay Wright Jay Wright (poet) Jay Wright is an African-American poet, playwright, and essayist. Born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, he currently lives in Bradford, Vermont. Although his work is not as widely known as other American poets of his generation, it has received considerable critical acclaim...	"The Cradle Logic of Autumn"	1995 The Best American Poetry 1995 The Best American Poetry 1995, a volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor Richard Howard....

External links

• Web page for contents of the book, with links to each edition where the poems previously appeared