Steal Away: Selected and New Poems

Steal Away collects work spanning three decades from celebrated American poet C.D. Wright. The volume includes selections from seven previous books along with new poems. Wright's verses move through landscapes of the American South, drawing on voices and scenes from Arkansas to Rhode Island. Her poetry incorporates found text, oral histories, and documentary elements alongside more personal meditations. The collection showcases Wright's range of forms and approaches, from spare lyrics to longer narrative sequences. The poems engage with civil rights, poverty, love, and loss through both intimate and panoramic perspectives. At its core, Steal Away explores the intersection of personal and collective memory, examining how history and place shape human experience. The work challenges traditional boundaries between public and private spheres while remaining grounded in precise observation.

Readers emphasize Wright's unique voice and experimental style, with many noting how she captures Southern rhythms and landscapes through fragmented, collage-like poems. Her work resonates with readers who appreciate poetry that challenges traditional forms. What readers liked: - Raw, personal narratives that connect to universal themes - Strong sense of place, particularly Arkansas and the South - Ability to blend vernacular speech with complex ideas What readers disliked: - Abstract nature of some poems makes them difficult to penetrate - Fragmentary style can feel disconnected - Some found the experimental forms inaccessible Review Scores: Goodreads: 4.3/5 (89 ratings) Amazon: 4.6/5 (7 ratings) From reviews: "Her poems read like overheard conversations woven with precise imagery" - Goodreads reviewer "Beautiful but requires multiple readings to grasp" - Amazon reviewer "Captures voices from the margins with unflinching honesty" - Poetry Foundation reader comment

The Glass Constellation by David Wojahn This collection combines personal history with political awareness through documentary poetics and cross-cultural references.

Geography III by Elizabeth Bishop These poems merge precise observations of place with themes of loss and displacement through controlled, narrative verses.

Native Guard by Natasha Trethewey The collection weaves personal memories with historical accounts of the Louisiana Native Guards through a Southern lens.

The Wild Iris by Louise Glück These poems speak through multiple voices—flowers, gardener, deity—to explore existence and mortality in a natural setting.

What the Living Do by Marie Howe The collection examines grief and ordinary moments through narrative poems that bridge personal experience with universal human conditions.

🌟 C.D. Wright grew up in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas, and her poetry often reflects the distinct voices and landscapes of the American South. 🌟 "Steal Away" spans over twenty years of Wright's work, including both previously published poems and new material, showcasing her evolution as a poet from 1980-2002. 🌟 The book's title comes from the African American spiritual "Steal Away to Jesus," connecting her work to themes of escape, transformation, and spiritual seeking. 🌟 Wright was known for blending documentary poetics with lyrical expression, incorporating real voices and experiences from her research into social justice issues. 🌟 The poet received numerous prestigious awards throughout her career, including a MacArthur Fellowship (also known as the "Genius Grant") and served as the Poet Laureate of Rhode Island from 1994-1999.