In his fifth book of poems, Timothy Liu addresses a tripartite "Thee": the Divine, the Beloved, and the State. A precarious dance between the spiritual and the material ensues, the lyric poem confronting a consumer culture overrun by rampant lust and greed yet finding itself unable to wholly stand outside of what it critiques: Any consolation found herein is short-lived. Even so, by extending the traditions of lyric poetry forward, these utterances seek to enlarge the conversation between art and life, anticipating whatever commerce the future might yet hold.

About the Author

Timothy Liu is an associate professor of English at William Patterson University. His first book of poems, Vox Angelica, received the 1992 Norma Farber First Book Award from the Poetry Society of America. His other three books were finalists for the Lambda Literary Award. Liu has edited Word of Mouth: An Anthology of Gay American Poetry.

Reviews

"Timothy Liu writes out of an angry materialism, ill-fitting body, disappointment at every turn.... Lots of humor erupts to keep the machine going. Is will the same as desire? It didn't used to be, but now it is. Liu's poetry is fully present to the time we are in." - Fanny Howe"