In the following interview, Doty discusses his creative process and aesthetic concerns, his thematic preoccupation with AIDS and gay identity, the influence of place and autobiography in his work, and his experience as a teacher.

In the following essay, the author compares the “poetics of androgyny” in the works of Doty and Wallace Stevens. The discourse of androgyny, according to the author, “bespeaks a uniquely gendered space fraught with relaxations of the known,” and he claims the poetry of Stevens and his admirer Doty both exemplify an attentiveness to “living in difference.”

In the following essay, Jarraway examines the discourse and poetics of androgyny found in Doty's writing, drawing direct parallels between Doty's exploration of gender and sexual identity and that of Wallace Stevens, particularly as revealed in Stevens's correspondence with José Rodríguez Feo.

In the following excerpt, Landau argues that My Alexandria offers an important revision and reinterpretation of AIDS suffering and homophobic stereotypes, providing a redemptive, consoling, and life-affirming response to the disease countering popular misconceptions and the effects of fear, anger, and despair.

In the following interview, Doty discusses such issues as the development of his thematic and artistic preoccupations, the role of geography and public awareness in his work, and his aesthetic approach.

In the following essay, the author notes “an abundance of references, images and illusions to drag” in the poetry of Doty and Campo, but she questions whether their poems are as subversive as some would think.

In the following interview, Doty discusses trends in recent American poetry, how events in his teens led him to pursue writing, and how being gay affects style and self-presentation.

In the following essay, the author emphasizes Doty's descriptions of nature and use of metaphor to “lead us back to a sense of a lived, embodied experience in the world.”

In the following interview, Doty discusses his literary career and life upon the publication of Heaven's Coast.

In the following essay, the author provides a good overview of Doty's life and career up to the publication of Firebird, with a focus on how AIDS effected Doty's personal life, memoirs, and poetry.

In the following essay, Wunderlich provides an overview of Doty's life, writing, and poetic style.

In the following essay, poet Fenton lauds Doty for learning from Lowell and Cavafy that an experience is made representative through devotion to the particular.

In the following review, Fenton discusses the criteria for the T. S. Eliot Prize and offers a positive evaluation of My Alexandria.

In the following review, Tóibín provides a favorable assessment of My Alexandria and Heaven's Coast, but finds shortcomings in Atlantis.

In the following interview, Doty discusses his work as a teacher, the social role of poetry, his formative experiences and life before and after the death of his long-time partner, and his political orientation.

In the following essay, the author declares that Doty is an aesthete with a “very queer turn-of-the-century belief that art and literature are different from other objects and can bring a kind of salvation, or at least a balm to the spirit.”

In the following review, Bergman discusses themes of light and art in Source, noting that “Doty is an aesthete, very much derived from the mauve decade of Wilde and Beardsley.”

In the following excerpt, Bedient praises Doty's finesse and imagination in My Alexandria, but finds flaws in his tendency toward sentimentality and forced conceit.

In the following review, Kennedy offers a positive assessment of Turtle, Swan & Bethlehem in Broad Daylight, a jointly republished volume of Doty's first two poetry books, arguing that the second collection is stronger than the first.

In the following review, Cramer comments on the style and subject matter of Turtle, Swan, asserting that Doty's poetry is “quirky” yet refreshing.

In the following review, Herd examines the poems in Sweet Machine, alleging that Doty's verse is polished, confessional, and reminiscent of other poets such as Robert Lowell, Paul Muldoon, and Frank O'Hara.

In the following essay, critic Vendler reviews Atlantis and a work by August Kleinzahler and finds Doty occasionally capable of evoking empathy despite the inert rhythms in his work.

In the following excerpt, Baker faults Doty's poetic style in Bethlehem in Broad Daylight, claiming that Doty's voice lacks “dramatic significance” and laments the attempts to instruct readers at each poem's conclusion.

In the following excerpt, Braham explores the value of being witness to grief and of examining death in Heaven's Coast.

In the following essay, the author praises Sweet Machine even though he finds Doty's graceful and effective lines occasionally dragged down by overly forceful language.

In the following review, Jenkins finds shortcomings in My Alexandria, faulting Doty's literary allusions and trite descriptive language.

In the following excerpt, Slavitt faults My Alexandria for incorporating literary criticism into its verse and for its elements of heavy explication.

In the following review, Marks praises Heaven's Coast, asserting that the book is a powerful work of reminiscence in the canon of AIDS memoirs.

In the following review, Cooper extols the sense of urgency and despair evident in Heaven's Coast.

In the following review, Smith lauds My Alexandria, stating that the collection contains rich, “buoyant” language and that Doty is an important contemporary poet.

In the following excerpt, Scull alleges that Heaven's Coast is a wrenching, detailed description of loss and Doty's reengagement with the world after the death of his partner, Wally Roberts.

In the following review, Reichard compliments Firebird as a “beautifully wrought” recollection of Doty's early life experiences.

In the following review, Brouwer addresses Doty's focus on moving forward after the loss of partner Wally Roberts in Sweet Machine, lauding Doty's emphasis on living a life no longer defined by AIDS.

In the following review, Freeman maintains that Doty is a skilled poet and memoirist, judging Firebird as a powerful, insightful reminiscence of the author's past.

In the following review, Marcus discusses the theme and style of Still Life with Oysters and Lemon and Murano, though cites shortcomings in the juxtaposition of text and images in the latter.

In the following review, Wilde praises Heaven's Coast and contends that Doty's voice and language in the collection are powerful and important pieces of the contemporary gay canon.

In the following excerpt, Upchurch praises Heaven's Coast and Bernard Cooper's autobiography Truth Serum, noting that both works make powerful statements about loss, the gay experience, and dealing with AIDS.

In the following review, Gonzalez extols the elegiac poetry in My Alexandria, arguing that Doty manages to find positive truths and beauty amid pain and death.

In the following excerpt, Logan asserts that Sweet Machine is overly concerned with surface issues and objects, faulting the collection for not delving deeply into more serious subjects.

In the following excerpt, Hoey offers praise for Bethlehem in Broad Daylight, stating that Doty manages to create balance between straight narrative and the “stricture of lyric.”

In the following review, Glover lauds the brash, defiant language in Atlantis, contending that Doty is one of the “finest American poets of the last 20 years.”

In the following interview, Doty discusses the success of Heaven's Coast and the recollections of his formative years recorded in Firebird.

In the following excerpt, Boruch contends that Doty employs striking imagery and imagination in the poems in Turtle, Swan.

In the following review, Gladstone offers praise for Still Life with Oysters and Lemon and Murano.

In the following excerpt, Canning discusses the descriptions of nature in Heaven's Coast as well as the critical reception of the work.

In the following review, the critic examines the recurring themes in Sweet Machine, noting that the collection shows a definite focus on such issues as redemption and joy.