Much contemporary poetry fits into one of the many aesthetic categories that lie between the polar opposites of the radically ``experimental'' poem and the ``traditional,'' often formal, poem. Dorothy Barresi's work, however, is singular in its resistance, better yet, rejection, of current poetic camps. Part Sylvia Plath, part John Donne, Barresi handles both surprise and expectation with deftness, displaying uncommon verbal ingenuity and intelligence of investigation. Her third book, Rouge Pulp, spins poems of startling metaphysical image shot through with slang and pop culture.
Sylvia Plath
Barresi