These poems [in New and Selected Things Taking Place] mutter in the passive voice: "it is observed"; "it happens." The event, the text, stands out even as our guide to it steps back so as not to block the view. May Swenson indeed camouflages herself marvelously, and her protective coloration conveys respect. So we see "The World" clarified but glean only hints of "her world." For the poetry has no heroine and no heroics….

Transparency of self can allow the meaning to shine through, yet it also may merely thin down the work. Often subjects beg for the author's presence, for an opinion to be voiced to add a bit of depth. In her more public roles Swenson needs to outfit herself more for the occasion. Camouflage, it turns out, is not always suitable.

Nor is knowledge without inspiration. Swenson does not exactly suffer from "ambition without understanding...