Riverain

Oberlin College Press has championed the prose poem throughout its history, publishing such stellar examples as Russell Edson`s The Tunnel, Beckian Fritz Goldberg`s Egypt from Space and the first and final sections of Jeffrey Skinner`s 2017 prize-winner Chance Divine. James Haug`s Riverain is a masterful addition to that list, and a delight throughout. From the deadpan pastoral of 'Cows Are a Good Idea' to quizzical fables like 'Silent River,' from dreamlike meditations such as 'First It Didn`t Sound Like' to tender parables like 'Fraught with Sudden Appearances,' this collection is mysterious, hilarious, and utterly unpredictable. The Pulitzer Prize-winning poet James Tate described Haug`s previous collection as 'marvelous poems, ones that help us see what might have been or could have been, in a world full of light.' These new prose poems are equally revelatory, illuminating the natural world, contemporary culture, and New England metaphysics in witty and heartbreaking ways.