From Publishers Weekly
The effect of this companionable canonical anthology is like that of a classic, high-aiming radio talk show as Conarroe assembles a selective generational gathering of remarkable current or recent American poets. His choices from the work of Roethke, Bishop, Lowell, Berryman, Sexton, Plath, Ginsberg and Merrill are meticulously reliable, but the volume is superbly orchestrated beyond that basic music, providing a brief essay about each poet, with the book itself intelligently introduced by the editor. As a sequel to Conarroe's Six American Poets, issued in 1991 and offering a view of Whitman, Dickinson, Frost, Stevens, Hughes, and Williams, this one brings readers up to date, in reasonable detail and depth, with later writers who are almost certain to last-and whose influence on many poets writing now is visceral and intricate. Nearly any reader will want to own this. Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Conarroe is on to something good with his tightly focused anthologies of American poetry. His first, Six American Poets (1991), showcased work by the "classic" poets Whitman, Dickinson, Frost, Langston Hughes, Wallace Stevens, and W. C. Williams. It was wonderfully successful: the first book of poetry chosen as a Book-of-the-Month main selection in 55 years. Conarroe's new volume in what promises to be an ongoing series moves confidently into the second half of the century with poems by Theodore Roethke, Elizabeth Bishop, Robert Lowell, John Berryman, Anne Sexton, Sylvia Plath, Allen Ginsberg, and James Merrill. Once again, Conarroe has chosen well. He characterizes this diverse and dynamic group as our "century's second brilliant generation." In his illuminating introduction and succinct profiles of each poet, Conarroe describes the personal and literary interconnections within this select group and also muses on the mysterious link between psychological disturbances and creativity, a troubling aspect of the lives of most of these groundbreaking poets. Conarroe's homing instinct leads him to the strongest and most representative poems in each writer's canon, ensuring that his anthology has depth and resonance. Donna Seaman

From Book News, Inc.
Provides a generous sampling of the highly celebrated as well some of the less celebrated poetry published since 1940 by this group of powerful and important writers (of whom only Ginsberg and Merrill are still with us). Editor Conarroe's introductory biographical essays frame the poems that follow. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.

Book Description
In this generous anthology, Joel Conarroe has assembled the work of eight poets who have shaped--and to some extent defined--American verse since 1940: Elizabeth Bishop, James Merrill, Sylvia Plath, Allen Ginsberg, Theodore Roethke, John Berryman, Anne Sexton, and Robert Lowell. The 164 selections in Eight American Poets include widely anthologized works like Roethke's "My Papa's Waltz," several of Berryman's "Dream Songs," and Anne Sexton's "Ringing the Bells," as well as poems that are less familiar but just as haunting. Prefaced with a discerning introduction and individual biographical essays.

From the Inside Flap
In this generous anthology, Joel Conarroe has assembled the work of eight poets who have shaped--and to some extent defined--American verse since 1940: Elizabeth Bishop, James Merrill, Sylvia Plath, Allen Ginsberg, Theodore Roethke, John Berryman, Anne Sexton, and Robert Lowell. The 164 selections in Eight American Poets include widely anthologized works like Roethke's "My Papa's Waltz," several of Berryman's "Dream Songs," and Anne Sexton's "Ringing the Bells," as well as poems that are less familiar but just as haunting. Prefaced with a discerning introduction and individual biographical essays.

About the Author
The author of books and essays about American poetry and fiction and the editor Six American Poets, Joel Conarroe is president of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, which awards fellowships to artists and scholars. He has previously served as chairman of the English department and dean of arts and sciences at the University of Pennsylvania and as executive director fo the Modern Language Association. He has earned degrees from Davidson College, Cornell University, and New York University, and has been awarded honorary doctorates by several institutions.

FROM THE PUBLISHER