Contemporary American Women Poets: An A-to-Z Guide
Published by: dovesnake (Karma: 1384.51) on 21 May 2008 | Views: 2305
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Into the crowded field
of biographical reference sources comes a new work from Greenwood,
covering women writers who have written the majority of their works
since 1945. Some are established authors, while others are still
building their reputations. The editors say that the selected poets
represent a wide variety of ethnic and racial backgrounds, and come
from all parts of the U.S. but offer no further explanation that
justifies why some poets were chosen over others. E The book is set up in an A-Z format
with each author having a five- to six-page essay. Each essay includes
a biography, an analysis of the writer's major works, and a
bibliography of works by and about the author. The essays themselves
are very readable and would be appropriate for high-school students and
general readers who need a good overview of the writer's life and
works. Because the essays are relatively short, college students would
not have enough information for research papers but would find the
articles helpful introductions. Reference works on literary biography abound. The writers are all included in
Gale's Contemporary Authors series. Many are also included in Gale's
Dictionary of Literary Biography series and Contemporary Literary
Criticism series, which give more extensive biographical and analytical
information. Approximately two-thirds of the poets can be found in
Salem's Critical Survey of Poetry. Libraries that already own
Contemporary Authors and other Gale and Salem series might want to pass
on this works, but smaller public libraries and high-school school
libraries will find it very helpful for students and general readers
who want a good overview of contemporary women authors and poets.
