Postcards from the Imagination

Two quick notes:

1. Finished Frank Bidart's Star Dust. The first half seemed stronger than the second half, which is a single 44-page narrative poem. I'll have to go back and read it again, but my first impression is that there's too much [hi]story (it's told through the eyes of an Italian Renaissance sculptor), and not enough lyrical intensity. Or maybe it's that I had difficulty suspending my disbelief, because the voice of the protagonist speaker sounded too much like Bidart himself. That being said, the first half alone is worth the price of the whole.
2. I was about to leave Barnes & Noble the other night, when I walked past a copy of Jorie Graham's new book Overlord. I've never been a big fan, but I decided to have a look anyway, out of curiosity. Folks, I was rivited! I only had time to read the first few poems before the store closed, but those few blew me away. I actually teared up [blush] right there in the bookstore. I can't wait to read the rest.