Excellent

Book Review

Brent Goodman, Far From Sudden, Black Lawrence, 2013

by Richard Swanson

The word “flashy,” might pop into mind when you first have Brent Goodman’s new work in hand. Or maybe “highly attractive” is a better way of putting it.  The folks at Black Lawrence Press have done a masterful design with his book, no doubt inspired by Goodman’s far-ranging but subtle imagination.

Goodman’s talent for provocative titles pops up immediately. Skimming “Far from Sudden’s” table of contents, we can’t help being hooked: “Hearses Are the New Black,” “There’s a Lot of Loneliness in Dutch Poetry,” “This Morning I Woke with a New Twin,” and—ready for this?—“Jonathon Edwards Channeling Albert Einstein to the Wrong Family During an Unaired Taping of Crossing Over.”

Sponsored by the Red River Valley Writing Project, Goodman was in Grand Forks a few years ago to work with area teachers.