Whimsy Speaks Again

Statistical Overview

As many of you know, the 22nd Best American Poetry is out.  This year's editor is David Wagoner, noted poet and long-time faculty member of the University of Washington.  At 83, Mr. Wagoner is the oldest editor in BAP history.  Here's the complete list.

Mr. Wagoner's choices this year are very similar to Charles Wright's, in terms of distribution of gender and age.  Both BAP's contained a large number of older (even what we might have called "elderly" in past years) poets, and near-even split of 38 female poets and 37 males.  Nearly 20 of the poets included in BAP 2009 qualify for Social Security benefits.

Distribution of Poets' Ages by Gender

The Poets

There were many familiar names in BAP 2009, as there always have been in recent times.  Among the oft-selected were John Ashbery, Billy Collins, Richard Howard, W. S. Merwin,  Philip Levine, J. D. McClatchy, Adrienne Rich, Debora Greger, and Mary Oliver.  There was also, however, a very large number of newcomers this year — 38 of the 75 poets, probably a record for any BAP except the early ones (Wright chose 27 newcomers last year). 

Poets who graced the pages of BAP for the first time included:  Caleb Barber, Fleda Brown, Catherine Carter, Suzanne Cleary, Rob Cook, Alice Friman, Margaret Gibson, Douglas Goetsch, Barbara Goldberg, Michael Grabell, Sarah Hannah, Jerry Harp, Dolores Hayden, K. A. Hays, P. Hushell, Michael Johnson, Tina Kelley, Maud Kelly, Lance Larsen, Sarah Lindsay, Christine Marshall, Cleopatra Mathis, Jude Nutter, Susan Blackwell Ramsey, Keith Ratzlaff, Gibbons Ruark, Betsy Sholl, Martha Silano, Mitch Siskind, Tom Sleigh, Vincent Stanley, Alexandra Teague, Craig Morgan Teicher, Jeanne Murray Walker, Lisa Williams, Carol Wright, Debbie Yee, and Matthew Zapruder.

John Ashbery cemented his position as the most included BAP poet, with 16 selections in the past 22 years. 

 

The Publications

By and large, the literary journals represented in BAP 2009 were of the more conservative kind.  Topping the list with four entries was Georgia Review, followed by Five Points (3), Virginia Quarterly Review (3), and the following list, all represented by two poems in the issue:  American Poetry Review, Ploughshares, New Republic, Kenyon Review, Southern Review, AGNI, Southwest Review, Antioch Review, New Criterion, Cincinnati Review, Alaska Quarterly Review, Indiana Review, Margie.  This was a particularly good year for Cincinatti Review, Alaska Quarterly Review, Indiana Review and Margie, for whom this year's selection represents a large up-tick in their BAP count.

Some perennial favorites did not fare so well, including Poetry and Paris Review, with one poem each.  Other journals that have often been in BAP recently, but had no representation in 2009, included New American Writing, Colorado Review, Michigan Quarterly Review, and Atlantic Monthly.

Newcomers to BAP included American Literary Review, Asheville Poetry Review, Calyx, Cimarron Review, Measure, Missouri Review, No Tell Motel, and OCHO.

Online journals were better represented than in the past with Jacket, No Tell Motel, OCHO, La Petite Zine, and Painted Bride Quarterly all in the issue.
 

Small Oddities

For the first time since 2002, one poet declines to give his birth year.
Four poets had first names consisting only of initials.
Four poets had three-part names.
Painted Bride Quarterly, Parnassus and Salt Hill broke 10-year dry spells.


Complete Statistics

A complete list of all poets and publications for all years of BAP are tabulated at my poetry site.