The Best American Poetry 1996

Adrienne Rich proves to be the most inclusive editor thus far in the Best American Poetry series, drawing from a number of writers and journals whose work had not been represented in earlier installments. Of course, established poets such as Alicia Ostriker and W.S. Merwin are present, alongside newcomers like Ray A. Young Bear and Latif Asad Abdullah. The poems range from the funny (Beth Ann Fennelly's unrhymed sonnet), to the sexy (Deborah Stein's steamy contribution), to the poignant (a posthumous inclusion from Jane Kenyon).