In the following essay, Milburn differentiates between poems he loves and those he merely admires, classifying McHugh's “I Knew I'd Sing” in the former category.

In the following essay, Turchi provides a biographical profile of McHugh and a critical analysis of her poetry.

In the following excerpt, Harris finds similarities between the poetry of McHugh and Emily Dickinson and briefly describes the development of McHugh's verse.

In the following excerpt, Murphy explores McHugh's use of language in the poems of Hinge and Sign.

In the following excerpt, Becker maintains that with her poem “Not a Prayer” McHugh “sets out to establish a theater of voices in crisis, and she succeeds.”

In the following excerpt, Murphy notes McHugh's clever and often powerful use of language in The Father of the Predicaments.

In the following excerpt, Gioia notes the lack of depth in the poems comprising A World of Difference.

In the following review, the anonymous critic views the poems of Eyeshot as a return to McHugh's “signature bravura and obsessive word play.”

In the following favorable review of The Father of the Predicaments, Satterfield argues that “in this welcome fourth compilation, incidents of dramatic and seemingly random stature implode to reveal surprising insights.”

In the following review, the anonymous critic praises the best poems in The Father of the Predicaments as “comic and profound.”

In the following review, Muratori compares To the Quick to David Ray's Sam's Book.

In the following favorable review, the anonymous critic calls the poetry in Hinge and Sign “a testing ground of edges, allegiances and resistances.”

In the following review, Gunderson contends that Hinge and Sign allows readers to appreciate the development of McHugh's verse over twenty-five years and “to witness the increasing strength and maturity of her voice.”

In the following review, Lynch identifies the key thematic concerns of the poems comprising The Father of the Predicaments.

In the following review, Scharper elucidates the inventiveness of McHugh's language in the poems of Eyeshot.