Night errands

Library Journal

This engaging volume of over two dozen mostly original essays focuses on how the subconscious affects the poetry of contemporary American poets. Townley (executive director, The Writer's Place, Kansas City, MO) proposes that dreams and poetry are parallel languages: both rely heavily on the thoughts of the subconscious mind and on symbolic imagery, and "both employ compression and startling imagery and proceed by leaps rather than conventional logic." Each essay, written by poets such as Joyce Carol Oates, David Ignatow, and Laurel Blossom, explores how dreams and the subconscious influence each author's work, and each includes pertinent poetry samples and a photograph of the poet. The poets subscribe to a variety of styles, schools, and aesthetic sensibilities, and the collection represents a wide age range as well as an equal division of gender. Highly recommended for all public and academic libraries.--Kim Woodbridge, "The Scientist," Philadelphia

Booknews

Twenty-six contemporary poets share their work and reveal connections between their dreams and their poetry. Includes b&w photos of contributors. No index. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

Charlotte Observer

I saw an ad for Night Errands in The New York Review of Books and didn't rest—or dream—until it arrived in my mailbox. ...Night Errands will send the poet and reader of poetry on many day errands—you'll encounter poets and the mention of poets you'll want to read again; there are enticing words to look up; and an enticing "Selected Bibliography" to keep you busy far into the millennium.

Choice

In insightful essays (some abstract, some concrete), the poets discuss intricate relationships between dream states and poems . . . The picture is large and rich . . . fascinating personal odysseys into the mysteries of writing poetry.

Forecast Bridgewater, NJ

A unique anthology of poems, accompanied by personal essays, collects works by ontemporary American poets that explore the interrelation of dreams and poetry, showing the similarities between the two and meditating on the subconscious roots of creativity.

Kansas City Magazine

Night Errands brings together primary materials from poets speaking in their highly individual voices.

Kennebec Journal

One of the most singular and satisfying literary books on dreams I've read in a long while. . . . Although Night Errands is not intended to be a Who's Who in contemporary poetry, its sampling is lively and first-rate. . . . Townley has artfully arranged to have all his poets dreaming together. The result is a rare peek into the subconscious of more than two dozen serious poets.

Richard Tillinghast

New and original material . . . helps the reader better understand the relation between dreams and poetry. The subject is of interest to all students of poetry and the other arts and . . . it would have a wide appeal beyond the academic market.

SF Bay Literary Supplement

The poets featured here . . . attempt to unravel the connections between dreams and poetry. The result is an illuminating, nuanced, and cliche-free compendium. Sprinkled throughout are epiphanies on the subconcious, the writing process, and the art of poetry.