Coleman Bryan Barks has had over three hundred poems published in reputable periodicals as well as two chapbooks and a larger collection, The Juice (1972). In addition, his poems have been widely anthologized, and some have been translated into other languages. In recent years he has given over sixty invitational readings at major universities throughout the country. Little critical attention, however, has been paid to his achievement. His poetry is a singular achievement, but the relaxed nature of his work is probably exactly why he is not more widely recognized in the courts of criticism.

Barks's poetry is low key, but it turns out to be a reverberating poetry: phrases surface in the mind to insinuate themselves and turn out to be, after all, indelible--as do whole poems. He consistently refuses to raise his voice. He has no use for the shrill, and he seldom loses wit, which may...