Judevine, 2nd Edition

Budbill's "Judevine" captures that poet's region and personas in the same way Masters' "Spoon River Anthology" or Beecher's protest lyrics embodied American regional consciousness. With each piece of the American quilt, and "Judevine" is one, we piece together America through literature. If you haven't heard read Budbill's poetry or heard it on "Writer's Almanac" you really are missing out on great poetry and great storytelling.

i discovered judevine in a class that almost beat the warmth out of this spectacular poetry. But, fortuneately i had the good fortune to hear david budbill do readings from judevine. I have been hooked ever since. His style is so friendly and engaging, and when combined with the rich texture of character and landscape, it quickly became my favorite book of poems.

Judevine is a must have for any avid reader of poetry. Budbill has a unique ability to capture the momment and freeze it in time. You'll Love it! He has become one of my favorite writers.

David Budbill's story-poems are beautiful, heart-warming (and occasionally heart-breaking). They are best read aloud, and that may be why he's also such a great playwright. I believe these characters really exist, although David swears he made them up. Judevine is a song cycle, an epic, perhaps, of real people and real life--ennobled but not sugared over. Rich with sound, image, humor, and love.

In Judevine, David Budbill transforms a small Vermont town and it's inhabitants into allegories for humanity. Though it's written as a play, or a series of poems, it could easily be a documentary because of it's accuracy. Every vermonter can recognize these charactors, or their real life counterparts. What's amazing about this book is Budbill's great compassion, he treats these people with respect. However Budbill transcends his material and creates art. I recommend this book without qualification to every reader, the casual one who enjoys beautiful writing and colloquial charactors and the more serious one who will understand Budbill's subtle allegories