Unleashed: Poems by Writers' Dogs

"Unleashed" works if you've ever wished for more poems (not verse) about dogs. From prose poems to free verse to sonnets to some more sophisticated forms of poetry(that is, I don't know what to call them!), this book fills that void. And the dogs' voices are authentic, whether they're talking about barfing, spaying, dying, retrieving, or eating. Many thanks to Amy Hempel and Jim Shepard for editing this collection. I'm going to see if some of these writers are as good as their mutts.

I had a poetry teacher once who said some poets were better than others. I argued that "better" was subjective. Now I know I was wrong. There are poets that are better than others. They're dogs!

I fell in love with this book from the moment I read the first dog, er ... poet. I have raved about this collection ever since. What can I say? Even cat-people love it. It's true! I'm not lying! Really! A young school-teacher friend of mine has decided to use these poems to inspire her students to write poems from their own pets' point of view ... just so the kids will feel safer about writing poems. If the pet writes the poem, then it doesn't matter if people laugh at the poem; the pet won't mind. And that way, the pet can just go ahead and write all the poems (s)he wants to ... no matter what. Thank the Big Dog for bringing this back into print!

I was lucky enough to come across this book when I was getting ready to attend the Sewanee Young Writers' Conference where many of the selected dogs' owners were teaching. The only thing better than reading the poems to myself (or my dog, who also loved it) was hearing the writer's recite these love poems. Honestly, there isn't a bad one in the "litter": each poem will leave you with a smile or a wagging tail. A particular favorite is Lynda Barry's Bob Barker's "I Love My Master." I've read this to many people and it always takes quite a while for the laughter to subside. I would say this book is for everyone who likes poetry, but it is an absolute must-have for dog lovers!

I was fully prepared to like this book, but I was quite unprepared for it to be as altogether wonderful and extraordinary as it is. These poems are brilliant, insightful, intuitive, heartbreaking and hilarious. I laughed and cried, reading and re-reading and savoring every delicious word. The picture of tiny little Sadie sitting with her Mama, the poignant beauty of the "Memento Mori" section, the hilarity of the paeans by several of the dogs to their food.... it's impossible to choose a favorite. I have called friends to read sections and entire poems to them, and they have all been as moved and delighted as I. What a joy to learn that such sensitive and talented artists are as in love with their dogs as all the rest of us, but also able to articulate that love so beautifully. This is great poetry and great literature and a delight to all the senses. "Unleashed!" will be under many of my friends' Christmas trees this year. All the poets and both the editors deserve tremendous credit. This is a winner. Paws up!