The Essential C.D. Wright
The Essential C.D. Wright, with a moving introduction by Forrest Gander, gathers rare selections from across her entire oeuvre—from the first book, Room Rented by a Single Woman (1978), through the final collection, Shallcross, which was in production at the time of her unexpected death in 2016. It also presents readers with the very first look at a remarkable selection of previously uncollected poems. Tracing a writing life that spans more than four decades, this book illuminates works that remain empowered by an unrelenting independence, a wry and utterly original lyricism. It is a powerful entry in Copper Canyon’s revered Essential series, which has provided reader-friendly editions of some of contemporary poetry’s most important voices. C.D. Wright introduced a contemporary audience to the promise and power of docupoetics, while pushing the musical boundaries of vernacular speech and reshaping American poetry. Formally restless and energetic, The Essential C.D. Wright stands as a staple in the larger poetic landscape.
Excerpt
Like Some Dislocation of Reality
Clothes laid out behind her on the bed as if they were going out
A table, as if someone fiercely hungry were coming
or just someone fierce
The kitten that survived under the stairs slept on his sweater
Without food or water or company
One of the many things she neglected to ask
If he would bring her something sweet when he returned
How this feels: diminished by one, it hasn’t got a name
You don’t get it, she discovered among his crumpled juvenilia,
I was never here