A few years ago, at the age of eighty, Samuel Menashe became the first recipient of the “Neglected Masters Award” from The Poetry Foundation.

And a master he is, without much doubt. I suppose that almost any worthy contemporary poet might qualify to be described as “neglected,” at least relatively speaking. After all, in these modern times when our entertainment comes buzzing down wires at the speed of light directly into our veins and our neurons, even to slow down sufficiently to pick up and read a book of poetry is to flirt with a possibly fatal whiplash injury.

Nonetheless, Samuel Menashe’s work has a kind of [Read more →]

From section: Book Reviews, Reviews by Sean Curnyn
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(This was originally published May 14th, 2008. )

Frank Sinatra passed on ten years ago today. I recall thinking at the time that with Sinatra gone, all bets were off — anything might now happen in this sad old world. (And I think the record would show that my fear in this respect has proven largely correct.) [Read more →]

From section: Music Reviews, Reviews by Sean Curnyn
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Oh, Jesus: if only You could sue. From the AP: NYC cabbie mistakenly beaten by good Samaritans.

Police said a cab driver who tried to take a purse from a woman fare beater was beaten by a group of good Samaritans who thought they were seeing a robbery. Police said it happened Saturday morning near the Staten Island Ferry Terminal when four woman[sic], who had been club-going, got into a fight with the cab driver over the fare. [Read more →]

From section: Commentary, Faith by Sean Curnyn
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