What Animal: Poems (The Contemporary Poetry Series)

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant
Review: Buchanan combines all of the elements that one could hope to find in a young artist: passion, precision, extravagant imagination and brillaint virtuosity. The volume runs the gamut from the accessible (and devastating) "The Guinea Pig and the Green Balloon" to the denser (but no less rewarding) "Secret Arsonist" poems. This book will open your heart, your mind, and your ears; repeated readings will only reward you with new insight into her unique sensibility--and the tragedy of human life--of this I ham certain.

Rating:
Summary: I know what animal...
Review: Buchanan has given voice to creatures all over the planet - creatures whose silence, it turns out, was not for lack of intriguing intelligent and emotional thought... Her poems are frightening, heart-breaking, and snuggly cute all at once... ("The Ducks and The Bicylce", "The Guinea Pig and the Green Balloon", "The Only Yak in Batesville, Virginia"). I have never loved poetry the way I love Oni Buchanan's masterpieces.

Rating:
Summary: Animistic Brilliance
Review: Ms. Buchanan's debut is a delirious admixture of surprises. The quality of her thought and impressive control of her lines and imagery make her a young poet far and above many others in her generation. Read this book and you'll encounter worlds you've never known before.