Far-Fetched

"Johnston, who teaches at St. Louis University in Missouri, is one of the most ambitiously painstaking craftsmen in contemporary American poetry . . . Johnston’s poems are not merely cooked; they are tenderized, trimmed, aged, gently marinated, then braised until the finished product practically shouts, 'Care has been taken in this preparation!' although Johnston’s poetry is so instinctively restrained the shout is more of a charged whisper. Far-Fetched is Johnston’s fifth poetry collection, and it continues a project that has only gotten more impressive. The outlines of that project may be difficult to perceive, however, because a Johnston poem often requires the reader to look for emotional content in the meticulousness of its construction rather than in, say, the title . . . This is work in which the often spare, impersonal presentation is discreetly enriched by slant rhymes, ­ couplets, the occasional 50-cent word ('hachures,' 'auriculars') and delicately consummated metaphors ('Clouds purl?/?in a conch whorl')."—David Orr, The New York Times Book Review

"Far-Fetched, by Devin Johnston, is a gorgeous collection that demonstrates how musical poetry can be. From the very first stanza, sounds wash over the reader in a stream that gently bubbles and flows . . . Birds grace many of these poems, which shimmer with light and color. Johnston is an astute observer, rendering nature and various locales with the keen eye of a painter and the wisdom of a historian who grasps the value of the overlooked. The poems also survey the human landscape, with quirky characters and poignant family moments. This is a book for readers who want verse that etches memorable lines on the heart and mind."—Elizabeth Lund, The Christian Science Monitor