Southern
ScribeSouthern
Scribe
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Poetry Review |
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Out of the South reads like a
disjointed narrative where the speaker rejects then embraces his southern
heritage. Set in the 1950's and 1960's, the poems are a coming of age
tale of a young man from Clarksville, Tennessee.
He goes through the normal rites of passage -- "Driving Lessons," "Lost in the Vicinity," and "The Dare." The boy reflects on the social changes of the period and the flight to industrial centers -- "The Future," "Integrations," and "White, U.S.A." Bower ends the boy's journey in manhood and the philosophical reflection of life. The recipient of the Frederick Bock Prize from Poetry magazine and a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in Poetry, Neal Bowers is the author of three previous books of poetry; the novel Loose Ends; and three nonfiction books, including Words for the Taking: The Hunt for a Plagiarist.
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