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| Jim Murdoch |
I’m excited to report that Scottish poet and fiction writer Jim Murdoch, whose incisive essays appear regularly on his piquantly titled blog The Truth About Lies, has written an extensive essay on my own Bed of Coals. It is the most in-depth writing that anyone has done on any of my work, and I appreciate it especially because the structure of Coals admittedly makes it a challenge for readers, and Mr. Murdoch tackles that challenge with lots of close, insightful reading. (His glancing comparison of my book’s structure to that of Doris Lessing‘s The Golden Notebook makes me blush, but it’s heartening that he made that particular connection.) His response is not so much a review as a record of his wrestling match with these poems, which, as far as I’m concerned, is the most useful kind of criticism.
Here’s how his essay opens:
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Joseph Hutchison, Colorado Poet Laureate 2014-2019, has published 20 collections of poems and edited or co-edited three poetry anthologies. He currently directs two master’s-level programs for University College at the University of Denver: Professional Creative Writing and Arts & Culture Management. Joe lives with his wife, Melody Madonna, in the mountains southwest of Denver, Colorado, the city where he was born. 
Excellent in-depth review, really more of a study. Liked his dividing the poems into the three groups. I'll have to re-read it that way. Congrats!
Where can we read the whole review, Joe? This is a great opening.