Somehow Larry Levis slipped under my reading radar all these years, but when I saw how cool he looked on the cover of this collection and its fantastic title, I pretty much knew I’d love his stuff. Turns out he studied with one of my favorites—Philip Levine—and suffuses their shared linguistic precision with the kind of probing creativity my heart just can’t get enough of.
Swirl & Vortex: Collected Poems by Larry Levi, (List Price: $35, Graywolf Press, 9781644453711, February 2026)
Reviewed by Mark, Carmichael’s Bookstore in Louisville, KY