A month ago, I attended a KGB Monday Night Poetry Reading on Zoom whose featured readers were from Michigan and California. Diane Seuss, the poet from Michigan, I had never heard before and was surprised and taken by her poems; I could hear and taste, smell and touch them; my mind did not wander—as it might at a poetry reading—and if it wandered, it wondered as it explored the places the poems provided; yes, these poems enlivened my senses, and I trusted them; their honesty was like the stranger I know is a friend as soon as I meet her or him; with a genuine vivid empathy they drew me in, and I was in their skins.
In the Vimeo below, edited from the KGB reading, Diane Seuss reads from her new book, frank : sonnets. I bought the book as soon as I heard her read it, and I have no regrets. I hope you like surprises and enjoy them as much as I did.
In the Vimeo, Diane Seuss reads the first and last poems in the book, and here they are.
frank : sonnets is published by Graywolf Press. You can check it out here:
The KGB reading from March 29, 2021 is below in its entirety with the two featured readers, Kim Addonizio and Diane Seuss, and the commentary of the hosts, John Deming, Jada Gordon, Jason Schneiderman, and Matthew Yeager. In the future I want to feature Kim Addonizio on the blog as well so be on the lookout. Right now, listen and enjoy.
Diane Seuss