The Outlaw Bible of American Poetry has almost everything a lover of poetry, a student of poetry or a poet is looking for. I liked the way the book was laid out in categories. It's a reference book and one of the greatest pieces of literature in this century rolled into one package Names of one legend after another jump at you from the pages along side the names of lesser known poets hidden deep in fabric of America.

The inclusive nature of this book is refreshing and breathes new life into contemporary literature. Everyone from Walt Whitman and William Carlos Williams to Peter Coyote and Tupac Shakur live within the pages of the Outlaw Bible. This book rips through the heart and soul of America like a tornado. In it's wake, it leaves preconceived exclusive notions of what makes a poet a poet and a poem a poem gasping for air. Lisa Martinovic's poem "Debt of Blood" is a perfect example of the excellent writing and one of the little-known voices among today's poets. Her character Nila Marse jumps out at you. She becomes real; her voice is audible. The poets featured in The Outlaw Bible of American Poetry tease our sensibilities and challenge our locked-in-a-box, black and white thinking. This book should be on every book shelf, dogged eared, studied and well read.

- Linda Stehling