Broad Meadow Bird: 15 years of poetry

Broad Meadow Bird is American poet Brad Vogel's first formal book of poetry - and a window into fifteen years of his creative output. At times visceral and flinty, at times ethereal and playful, Vogel's poetry reflects him as he comes into his own across multiple states, nations and states of mind. The sturdiness of the poet's native Wisconsin, the uniqueness of his adopted post-Katrina New Orleans and the bustle of his current home of New York City shine through in poem after poem. Five sections comprise the book, each illustrating a different facet of poetry as a means of survival in the face of modern life: "Love Songs from the Closet", focused on unrequited love and relationships; "Zen", which crystallizes moments and memories in time; "Surviving the Salt Mines", a series on persisting in the face of adversity; "Feathers", featuring short poems; and "Crazy Talk", which lets the written word and imagination run wild. With a wide range of styles and forms, Vogel presents a grand tableau - all while maintaining the strong, notable undercurrent of a distinct poetic voice. As he writes in the poem "A Defense of Love", seemingly summing up his relationship to his poems: "They are me and I am glad; love shall findeth a way."