Stealing Glimpses : Of Poetry, Poets, and Things in Between

Over the past decade Molly McQuade has emerged -- both as a critic and an editor -- as one of the most quietly influential intelligences in American poetry. Her work is so accessible that we haven't readily used the most accurate and inevitable word to describe it -- visionary. McQuade has envisioned a more vital and democratic literary culture, and she has helped make it happen. This new collection, which so persuasively combines the familiar essay with the literary profile, shows how she has enlarged the public conversation about American poetry. -- Dana GioiaIn her first collection of essays, McQuade considers poetry from its composition or translation to its publication, critical reception, and consumption. Both historically informed and hip, she considers the community that literature represents: its friendships, influences, and oppositions. She dares to define the subject of poetry, itself, as pleasure. Poetry, she ventures, doesn't need to be literary. Her thoughts on the genre are enriched by discussions of distinctly nonverbal poetic expression as well, such as painting and dance.These essays feature McQuade's characteristic expertise as a well-known reviewer, editor, and poet who is fueled by a passionate interest in ideas and an irrepressible ambivalence.