New Reviews: Poetry & Drama

Vietnamese-born poet Nam Le's second poetry book speaks provocatively to the perspectives of people with multicultural identities, especially those whose experiences include a violent history. Many of his words are haunting, and his slow, steady way of speaking creates anticipation for what comes next. Listeners can hear the darkness and trauma in his tone. In the poem... Read More

Listening to Alice Notley read her own poetry is rather like visiting her mind. It may take a while to get used to the strange environment, but eventually one adapts and starts to feel comfortable. The poetry still requires attention and investigation, but it is rewarding. Notley's voice is intense and immediate, almost as though she is not reading the poems but improvising... Read More

Hugo Armstrong and Joanne Whalley lead an exceptional cast of L.A. Theatre Works regulars in this story of a dysfunctional family bravely attempting not to be dysfunctional. The play's conversational dialogue reveals a tense reunion that is gathered around a brilliant, overbearing patriarch (Armstrong) who is dying from late-stage Parkinson's disease and is about to receive a... Read More

This poetry collection draws, in both theme and imagery, on the minutiae of everyday life, particularly in the working-class neighborhoods of Portland, Oregon, where Michael Dickman grew up. His mother, who worked for the regional power company, has an especially strong presence, as you might expect in this largely autobiographical volume. The poems are not simple but, like all... Read More