Comments on: Atsuro Riley a Latter Day Hopkins

By: Buzz

Buzz — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 +0000

What did I learn at learnhouston.com?
My friend and former co-worker Daryl is alive ‘n’ well, which I often wondered given the dot.com woes.
Grace and peace, my friend.
Buzz

By: oedipa

oedipa — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 +0000

Yeah, I just read some of his poems today, including "Map" and I was really affected by the language. So here I am searching on the guy's name and I came up with your mini-review on your blog site.

Once you mentioned Hopkins it hit me that you are most likely onto something. However, imitating is what poets do to eventually find their own stride. These poems are so unique in their subject matter and voice. They are quite rich.

Have you ever read any Frank Stanford? The surreal images in Asturo's poems reminded me of his work as well.

-Oed

By: Rebecca Cook

Rebecca Cook — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 +0000

I, too, was astonished by Riley’s poems. So much raw power, rage, light. “yesterdaddy” My god.

By: shiftless

shiftless — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 +0000

two short riley poems were today’s pick by “poetry daily” and, like oedipa, I too immediately did a search on the
name and ended up here. thank you for your thoughts. I will definitely be looking out for more of riley’s work.

By: Curtis Faville

Curtis Faville — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 +0000

I caught Riley’s work accidentally when I picked up a stash of discarded Poetry Magazines at the El Cerrito Recycling Center two months ago. But the work seem completely out of place there. I didn’t know what to make of it. Had Jonathan Williams somehow missed this Southern Fried vernacular voice in his midst? Had C.D. Wright married the wrong man?

The Hopkins thing seem(ed)(s) not particularly helpful. This stuff is more like “Boomer’s” rural reliques in The Great Santini. How do we characterize the genuine? How account for a sweet swizzle of word-swirling by an unknown come from “nowhere”?

I’m game.