The Long Embrace

Philip Levine is one of the foremost poets of the last fifty years, but moreover he is a master and unparalleled practitioner of the long poem in our time. No recent poet has written as many exceptional long poems as Levine, and his influence has continued virtually undisturbed since his death in 2015. In this new anthology, twenty-one prominent American poets testify to Levine’s immense importance and his singular mastery of the long poem’s many forms, offering an important discussion of the signature form of one of the great poets of the English language. Contributors include Kelly Cherry, Kate Daniels, Peter Everwine, Kathy Fagan, Christopher Howell, Richard Jackson, Mark Jarman, Dorianne Laux, Paul Mariani, and many more.