The Difference is Spreading: Fifty Contemporary Poets on Fifty Poems is a volume edited by Al Filreis and Anna Strong Safford, inspired by the Modern Poetry (ModPo) MOOC, a popular free online course in the appreciation of modern and contemporary poetry, focusing on the American tradition. The concept of getting fifty poets to comment on fifty works of other poets underlines the fact that the interpretation of a work of literature is in itself a creative enterprise. This is particularly true of poetry which, as a form, often tends to rely on symbols and metaphors pregnant with personal meaning. As a book this feels quite academic, with the critiques of the poems often delving into the formal techniques used in the chosen pieces. Yet this never eschews the sense of a “personal” reading. This is an eye-opening, mind-expanding book, whether for students of poetry, lovers of the genre or readers who would like to explore beyond narrative and prose. ( )

The Difference Is Spreading: Fifty Contemporary Poets on Fifty Poems, edited by Al Filreis and Anna Strong Safford, is a collection of 50 poems accompanied by a short essay each from a contemporary poet. These essays show that there are many ways into each poem.

This is inspired by the Modern Poetry (ModPo) MOOC that uses a discussion and close reading of various poems to make poetry more accessible to more readers. Though each poem here is accompanied by just one essay it by no means implies that that interpretation or understanding is the only or the "right" one. In fact, several of the poets make clear that there are other readings but they are giving theirs.

I took the first iteration of the MOOC and have been in and out of each one since. Even with English being one of my undergraduate degrees my focus was never poetry, so the course and this book are welcome opportunities for me to learn different ways into a poem. Because these essays are by poets there is a fair amount of looking at structure and word choice. I don't consider it so much academic as I consider it something more than simply what a quick reading made me feel. That certainly has value but I gain so much more when I come to understand how and why a poem moved me. Or when I gain a different perspective on a poem from the one I already have. Having more than one way into it is only beneficial, they aren't in competition.

I would highly recommend both this book and the MOOC for anyone who would like to learn different ways to appreciate and understand poetry. If you feel limited because there is only one essay per poem here and thus just one avenue into it, try to think of it as someone showing you how they came to understand it rather than them telling you that you must understand it the same way. That isn't their purpose, they are trying to help open poetry up not close it in. Though I will admit that it is much more readily apparent in the MOOC since everyone's voice is heard and valued.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. ( )