Angol
A selection of 94 poems by Rob Couteau. Over 40 of these poems were published in 15 different print and online journals between 1985 and 2020.
"The new work might be quite dark, a recognition of the loss that time inevitably entails, yet he also pursued moments of high beauty ... There is a deep tenderness in these words, mingled with the sadness of age. If one goes back to the early poems one can find the tenderness there, too, as it is in his work as a case manager for the poor and homeless. There is much to admire in Couteau's oeuvre, but this tenderness stands out among so many things that make reading his work clearly an important experience."
- Poet, critic, and literary historian Ed Foster, founder of Talisman House, Publishers, and Talisman: A Journal of Contemporary Poetry and Poetics. from his Introduction to Selected Poems.
"Selected Poems features a satisfying blend of old and new works designed to appeal to newcomers and prior fans alike. Rob Couteau's works are diverse. They follow no set poetic structure, even defying some of them when the muse strikes and special needs indicate that the subject is more important than poetic form.... His inspections of artistic, literary, and social issues are astute and compelling.... Don't anticipate set structures, uniform poetic approaches, or singular subjects here. Selected Poems offers a freewheeling approach to poems and life alike, and is a thought provoking, evocative gathering of works recommended for literary readers not bound by convention or rules."
- Diane Donovan, Midwest Book Review
